Kiev will buy Swedish Gripen fighters more expensive than Poland — American F-35

Swedish Gripen fighters will cost Ukraine more than American F-35 fighters to Poland. This is reported by the Polish portal GeekWeek.

Kiev will purchase 16 Swedish Gripen E fighters for $ 2.54 billion — an average of about $ 158.7 million per aircraft. According to GeekWeek estimates, this is more expensive than the American F-35 cost Poland — under the 2020 contract, their average cost was about $ 143.8 million per unit.

It is noted, however, that the terms of the contracts are different: the volume of logistics, maintenance and other services included in the Ukrainian deal have not been disclosed. In addition, there is no information about the supply of weapons for the new Gripen E.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, fighters are purchased at the expense of an EU loan with the support of the United Kingdom. London participates in this program, as about 30% of Gripen E components, including radar and chassis, are manufactured at British enterprises.

According to GeekWeek, such a high cost of the Gripen E looks unusual, since this aircraft is considered a more affordable alternative to the F-35. The authors of the publication believe that the price could have been increased due to the peculiarities of the transaction structure, emphasizing, however, that this version is not confirmed by any evidence.