Ukraine’s Gripen jets likely to come with long-reach Meteor missiles

SINGAPORE — Ukraine and Sweden are discussing the prospect of arming Kyiv with Europe’s top air-to-air missile, the Meteor, which a Saab official said would be a “natural content” of a weapon package for Gripen users.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced last week that the country was discussing the potential transfer of JAS 39 Gripen jets and Meteor missiles to the war-torn country. These beyond-visual range, air-to-air missiles can currently only be integrated on the Gripen, Eurofighter, and the Rafale fighter jets, although the United Kingdom is leading ground-based integration testing on the F-35.

“The Meteor missile would be a natural content in a weapon package for any Gripen user, discussions are taking place with several export nations, including Ukraine,” Jussi Halmetoja, operations advisor in the air domain at Saab told Defense News at the Singapore Airshow here.

Halmetoja added that the Meteor missiles would enhance Ukraine’s operations by providing pilots with extended engagement ranges, denying Russian aircraft freedom of movement and control of the air.

Late last year, Ukraine and Sweden signed a letter of intent to export up to 150 Gripen fighter jets to Kyiv, although no final deal has been concluded.

The Meteor is 419-pound (190 kilo) munition manufactured by MBDA that first entered into service with the Swedish Air Force on the Gripen in 2016. It was developed in a joint project of six European countries, including Sweden, and led by MBDA.

It uses a rocket booster as well as a throttleable ramjet motor that can continue to power the missile until impact, allowing for late-stage maneuverability. That capability increases its kill-zone compared to more common rocket-powered air-to-air missiles that coast after their initial boost. Saab lists Meteor’s range as more than 100 kilometers and its speed at over Mach 4, though the range is regularly reported as being around 200 kilometers.

Meteor was “arguably the most capable AAM currently in service on Western combat aircraft,” the London-based International Institute for Security Studies wrote in a report in September 2022.

Last year, Sweden procured its third batch of Meteor missiles destined for the Gripen aircraft. The acquisition was done through international cooperation, whereby the British arm of MBDA is the one providing the systems.

MBDA did not return a request to comment at the time of writing.

Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris contributed to this report.