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 prime air-to-air missile, the Meteor, which a Saab official stated can be a “pure content material” of a weapon bundle for Gripen customers.

Ukrainian Protection Minister Mykhailo Fedorov introduced final week that the nation was discussing the potential switch of JAS 39 Gripen jets and Meteor missiles to the war-torn nation. These beyond-visual vary, air-to-air missiles can presently solely be built-in on the Gripen, Eurofighter, and the Rafale fighter jets, though the UK is main ground-based integration testing on the F-35.

“The Meteor missile can be a pure content material in a weapon bundle for any Gripen consumer, discussions are happening with a number of export nations, together with Ukraine,” Jussi Halmetoja, operations advisor within the air area at Saab instructed Protection Information on the Singapore Airshow right here.

Halmetoja added that the Meteor missiles would improve Ukraine’s operations by offering pilots with prolonged engagement ranges, denying Russian plane freedom of motion and management of the air.

Late final 12 months, Ukraine and Sweden signed a letter of intent to export as much as 150 Gripen fighter jets to Kyiv, though no ultimate deal has been concluded.

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

It makes use of a rocket booster in addition to a throttleable ramjet motor that may proceed to energy the missile till affect, permitting for late-stage maneuverability. That functionality will increase its kill-zone in comparison with extra widespread rocket-powered air-to-air missiles that coast after their preliminary enhance. Saab lists Meteor’s vary as greater than 100 kilometers and its pace at over Mach 4, although the vary is often reported as being round 200 kilometers.

Meteor was “arguably probably the most succesful AAM presently in service on Western fight plane,” the London-based Worldwide Institute for Safety Research wrote in a report in September 2022.

Final 12 months, Sweden procured its third batch of Meteor missiles destined for the Gripen plane. The acquisition was finished by worldwide cooperation, whereby the British arm of MBDA is the one offering the techniques.

MBDA didn’t return a request to remark on the time of writing.

Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris contributed to this report.