Zelenskyy: Ukraine expects pilot training on Swedish Gripen jets to begin this year

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects Ukrainian pilots to begin training on Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets as early as this year.

Source: Zelenskyy during a joint press briefing with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in Lviv, as cited by Ukrinform and reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy thanked Sweden for the new programme aimed at strengthening the protection of Ukraine's airspace and developing the country's future air fleet.

Quote: "We are also grateful for the new programme to strengthen protection of our sky, regarding our future modern air fleet of Swedish-made aircraft, Gripen aircraft. We very much hope – and we will discuss this today with His Majesty – that our pilots will begin training already this year."

Background:

• The Ukrainian government expects that a plant of the Gripen's manufacturer could appear in Ukraine in 2033, while the aircraft themselves may arrive "much earlier".
• Zelenskyy had previously said the first aircraft could be delivered as early as 2026.

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