Ukraine needs F-16s now, but this rugged jet made for the Russia threat could be the better choice for its future fighter fleet

• Ukraine needs its F-16s, but it should get Gripen jets to thief conflict Russia long-term, experts said.
• They're rugged, flexible, and designed pinch a Russia conflict successful mind.
• Sweden's "Gripens were designed for this conflict overmuch better" than F-16s, 1 master said.

Ukraine has US-made F-16s and a committedness of French Mirages, tin weapons that it needs now, but Sweden's Gripen, a pitchy made for nan Russian threat, is an perfect prime for nan country's early combatant fleet.

"Gripens are a measurement amended fresh for Ukraine" than F-16s," said Michael Bohnert, an aerial warfare master astatine nan RAND Corporation. "The Gripen is simply a small much purpose-built" for Ukraine's needs.

A much elastic jet

The JAS 39 Gripen, made by Swedish aerospace and defense institution Saab AB, was designed to run from civilian roads successful nan arena that runways and airbases are destroyed. This is thing nan F-16 tin do, too, and has done, but nan Gripen is simply a much rugged craft amended suited for that.

The pitchy is 1 Ukraine wants but has been incapable to acquire.

They're made to run from improvised runways "because Sweden, being nether that Russian threat, designed nan Gripens to conflict this measurement that F-16s weren't," Bohnert said. F-16s person typical requirements, for illustration agelong and soft runways and protective hangars.

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian aerial bases suitable for F-16s. "If you're correct nether somebody's shadow, you request to beryllium capable to run from roads," Bohnert said.

The emerging rocket threat has led nations farther distant to look into nan believe arsenic well. The US and its partners successful Europe person been training pinch expanding regularity for dispersed aerial operations utilizing highways arsenic improvised runways for combat craft for illustration nan F-35, Eurofighter, A-10, and others.

The Gripen, designed astatine nan extremity of nan Cold War and built to conclusion Russia's highly maneuverable Sukhoi combatant aircraft, is considered among nan amended fourth-generation fighters and is regarded arsenic an fantabulous pitchy for these kinds of operations.

Retired US Army Maj. Gen. Gordon "Skip" Davis, who served arsenic NATO's lawman adjunct secretary-general for its Defense Investment Division, told BI that Swedens' Gripens person "a number of advantages" that use Ukraine and would apt activity good pinch nan dispersal strategies Ukraine has been employing since nan commencement of nan war to support Russians from destroying its smaller aerial force.

The jet's elasticity makes it "much better for a state that's bordering an aggressor," Bohnert said. "You'll astir apt get much effectiveness retired of an F-16 against Russia retired of Germany, whereas nan Gripen will get much capacity retired of Ukraine aliases immoderate different bordering country."

The Gripen is besides a lighter attraction assistance than immoderate different aircraft, nan F-16 included.

Experts astatine nan UK-based Royal United Services Institute wrote successful 2022 that of disposable Western craft that could beryllium supplied, nan Gripen "offers by acold nan astir suitable campaigner successful position of operational requirements. It was designed from nan outset for easiness of maintenance, and tin beryllium refuelled, re-armed and fixed basal attraction by teams of conscionable six crushed unit utilizing 2 vehicles connected mini airbases aliases highways successful acold weather."

"Moreover," they added, "only 1 of each unit needs to beryllium a highly trained maintainer; nan remainder tin beryllium conscripts aliases moreover troops."

The greater demands for F-16 operations mean that moreover if nan Ukrainians were promised acold much of nan jets, location is nary guarantee it would beryllium capable to put each of them successful nan air.

Designed against Russia

Sweden has agelong seen Russia arsenic a threat, and nan full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022 majorly elevated those concerns, prompting Sweden to subordinate NATO. The Gripen is built for that threat and delivers definite capabilities beyond nan F-16 aliases Mirage.

The then-commander of Sweden's aerial force, Mats Helgesson, said successful 2019 that nan Gripen was "designed to termination Sukhois."

Gordon noted nan Gripen's physics warfare capabilities, characterizing it arsenic a "big advantage," arsenic good arsenic nan jet's mini radar signature and its maneuverability successful a dogfight. The Gripen tin besides beryllium equipped pinch very long-range air-to-air missiles.

A imaginable transition

Sweden appears to beryllium inching person to giving Ukraine nan jets but still seems a agelong measurement disconnected from committing any.

Gordon said nan Gripens would beryllium useful for Ukraine now, but "unless Sweden makes a speedy determination to commencement training pilots and offering nan aircraft, past they're not going to make a quality nan adjacent twelvemonth and for 2025. So they whitethorn much beryllium a bully thought for costs and attraction and employment for a post-conflict."

The Gripen could beryllium a bully replacement if US support abruptly collapsed, but for nan clip being, Ukraine has its hands afloat building an F-16 fleet and nan approaching task of integrating Mirages into its aerial force, which Sweden has noted.

But Ukraine's semipermanent defense needs will almost surely halfway connected Russia, which will beryllium a threat to Ukraine nary matter really this warfare ends. That makes nan Swedish Gripen a worthwhile information for its semipermanent combatant needs.

Ukraine's early aerial force

Air warfare experts person described Ukraine's acquisition of its first F-16s arsenic nan opening of building Ukraine's semipermanent aerial force.

US officials person besides described it arsenic a semipermanent project, pinch Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saying past twelvemonth that nan US would lead a conjugation focused connected expanding nan Ukrainian aerial force's expertise to take sides itself against Russia successful nan agelong run.

The Gripen is good, but nan F-16 is astir apt nan champion action correct now.

As nan astir celebrated Western fighter, location are galore much jets and spare parts friends could take to springiness Ukraine, Tim Robinson, a subject aviation master astatine nan UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, told BI.

There are besides acold less countries that run Gripens, and not each of them support Ukraine. The Gripen has besides ne'er seen combat, truthful nan jet's celebrated capabilities are, for now, theoretical.

The F-16 is, connected nan different hand, a combat-proven craft and still a cardinal constituent of American and allied airpower, moreover amid nan modulation to fifth-generation fighters.

"It's conscionable that Gripens were designed for this conflict overmuch better," Bohnert said. But correct now, Ukraine conscionable needs jets, making F-16s a coagulated prime for nan clip being.