The Swedish Ministry of Defense and Saab will accelerate the transfer of Gripen E fighters to the Swedish Air Force.

This was reported on the official website of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration.

Under the new agreement signed between the Administration and Saab, the manufacturer will adjust plans for the transfer of new aircraft, and increase their functionality by integrating new weapons.

The contract for the purchase of Gripen E fighters signed in 2013 has been amended several times. In addition, the Swedish Air Force planned to completely update the existing fleet with new fighters.

Changes in 2020’s adjusted plans under which Gripen C/D fighters had to be used by the troops together with the new modification of the E.

The threat from Russia pushed the Swedish Ministry of Defense to accelerate the acquisition of these fighters.

At the same time, the Swedish Air Force aims to obtain an integrated control system for the GBU-53 StormBreaker bomb (formerly known as SBD-2).

This will allow Swedish aviation to strike at distances of up to 150 km, without entering the area of enemy air defense.

Saab plans to transfer the first serial aircraft to the air force in the fall of 2023, to begin training Swedish pilots and technical personnel.

Priority operational readiness of Gripen E fighters is expected in the second half of 2025, and full operational readiness in 2030.

As Militarnyi reported previously, the Swedish government decided to increase the country’s defense budget to achieve generally accepted spending within NATO.

The increase in the defense budget is connected to the increased Russian threat, and the necessity to maintain the level of spending established by NATO members.

The government decided to increase the budget by 2.2 billion euros in 2024, which will reach 2.0% of GDP.