After Over a Decade of Waiting: Sweden Officially Receives Its First JAS 39 Gripen E
The Swedish Armed Forces have officially received the first of sixty new JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets, ordered back in 2013.
The Swedish Armed Forces reported on this.
The official handover ceremony took place at the Skaraborg F 7 air base and gathered representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV), and the company Saab.
“This is an important milestone in the development of Swedish defense. It is the result of long-standing collaboration and close cooperation between the Armed Forces, FMV, and Swedish industry. The Gripen E strengthens our national defense capability so that, together with our allies, we can face future threats. Keep inspiring us,” Michael Claesson, Chief of Defense, said.
The agency explains that the JAS 39 Gripen E is designed to operate in “contested airspace” — that is, in areas where no side has full control. Previously, aircraft could take off and land in controlled environments. Today, even during takeoff, jets operate under uncertain conditions, which created the need to develop a more capable aircraft.
På plats vid F7 Såtenäs där Försvarsmakten idag tar emot den första av 60 JAS Gripen E. Det är en viktig dag för flygvapnet och det svenska försvaret. Gripen E är ett exempel på svensk teknologisk framkant och är ett modernt stridsflyg som i allt väsentligt är helt nytt. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/Bse70Hb5DX
— Pål Jonson (@PlJonson) October 20, 2025
“This time, the Swedish Armed Forces no longer fully replaced old models with new aircraft, as they did when moving from Viggen to Gripen. Now the Air Force will retain the JAS 39 C/D alongside the introduction of the E, which should be regarded as an entirely new aircraft type,” the agency reported.
Gradually, the E will take over the missions currently performed by the JAS 39 C/D. But for a relatively long period, the Swedish Air Force will have to operate and develop two types of combat aircraft simultaneously.
Differences between the C/D and the E
The Gripen E was ordered back in 2013. Saab delivered the first production aircraft to the Air Force in autumn 2023 to begin training Swedish pilots and instructing technical personnel.
The aircraft has several significant upgrades compared with the C/D variant: a new, more powerful GE F414G engine, increased internal fuel capacity, and ten external hardpoints for more weapons and payload.
It has also received a modern AESA radar (Raven ES-05), an infrared search and track system (Skyward‑G), and the latest Arexis electronic warfare suite.
Like previous generations, the aircraft remains optimized for Sweden’s doctrine of dispersed basing, capable of operating from short stretches of road or auxiliary runways.
The primary missiles for the Gripen E will be the long-range Meteor missiles, used for beyond-visual-range engagements, which can only be carried by specially upgraded C/D versions, and IRIS-T missiles for close-range combat.
In addition to introducing the new JAS 39 Gripen E into service, FMV, together with Saab and GKN Aerospace, is already implementing a program to develop a next-generation combat aircraft. A demonstrator is expected to be built by 2027, with the first demonstration flights scheduled for the same year.
