Sweden Sends Gripen Fighters to Shield NATO Borders for First Time

NATO’s newest member is deploying a fighter jet that is designed for a fight with Russia to protect alliance borders for the first time.

Sweden’s armed forces said that six of its Jas 39 Gripen fighter aircraft landed at an air base in Malbork, Poland, on Wednesday to join an alliance airspace surveillance mission.

NATO said this is the first time Sweden’s combat aircraft have participated in the alliance’s “enhanced Air Policing mission” from within another ally’s airspace since it joined in March 2024. It previously had only taken part in NATO air policing missions over its own territory, as only a partner nation.

Sweden, along with its neighbor Finland, broke with decades of neutrality to join NATO, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as their motivation for seeking membership. That was an unintended effect of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, a stated reason for which was to limit the expansion of the NATO alliance.

These countries built their militaries with a threat from Russia in mind, and the Gripen was one such project.

The jets, made by Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB, were specifically built to counter Russia. The then-commander of Sweden’s air force, Mats Helgesson, said in 2019 that the Gripen was “designed to kill Sukhois,” a type of Russian jet.

Gripens can function from civilian roads rather than expensive runways at fixed airfields that can be targeted. Russia has targeted that kind of infrastructure during the war. It also requires less maintenance than some other aircraft, like the US-made F-16s that are widely available in a number of NATO arsenals.

Michael Bohnert, a warfare analyst at the RAND Corporation said that the Gripen’s flexibility makes it “much better for a country that’s bordering an aggressor.” Poland, which is located next to Ukraine, sees itself very much as a front-line NATO ally.

Warfare experts, for these reasons, point to the Gripen as the best available fourth-gen fit of all NATO aircraft for Ukraine. Sweden has not pledged any, though it has explored the idea.

Pål Jonson, Sweden’s defense minister, told Business Insider last month that he was “having a dialogue” with Ukraine and other countries in the Air Force Coalition, a group of allies committed to helping Ukraine.

He said that it’s “more challenging for the Ukrainians to absorb another fighter.” Ukraine has already received American-made F-16 and French Mirages, so Sweden, the defense minister said, has been advised to focus on sending airborne sensor platforms that can provide command and control support.

Despite the praise these jets receive, Sweden’s Gripens have not seen the type of combat that they would in Ukraine. Nor have they experienced what they would face in a Russian war against the NATO alliance.

Europe braces for more Russian aggression

But Europe is preparing for such a scenario. Watching the invasion, much of Europe, particularly the countries close to Russia like Poland and Sweden, is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia.

Many NATO allies are increasing defense spending and manufacturing, forging defense agreements between countries, and holding larger NATO exercises.

Poland and Sweden are among Ukraine’s biggest international partners and are among the countries warning the loudest that Russia could attack elsewhere in Europe.

Sweden gave citizens a booklet that advised them how to prepare for war, and its defense minister last year warned that even though Russia’s forces were “tied up in Ukraine,” Russia “poses a threat to Sweden, as it does to the rest of NATO.” He said that Sweden “cannot rule out a Russian attack on our country.”

Poland has also given multiple warnings, including its foreign minister saying he would not be surprised if Russia attacked his country.

The two countries are both among NATO’s biggest spenders on defense. Poland spends the highest proportion of its GDP on defense of any member, including the US, and Sweden exceeds the 2% of GDP on defense guideline that NATO set.

Sweden’s Gripen jets will be deployed in Poland from April along with some of the UK Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons, NATO said.

NATO describes its “enhanced Air Policing mission” as a peacetime mission that was introduced in 2014 after Russia illegally annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine.

The alliance said its air power efforts since 2014 are designed “to demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies, demonstrate the defensive nature of NATO and deter Russia from aggression or the threat of aggression against NATO Allies.”

With the Trump administration shaking long-standing alliances, certain allies have questioned plans to buy F-35s. There’s a potential aircraft like the Gripen or Eurofighter Typhoon could become much more important.

There’s an opportunity for European defense companies, but it creates a problem for European countries as there are fewer of those jet types available and their production, at least for now, is slower.