Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Ukraine’s air force has lost 60 fighter jets, 40% of its pre-war fleet, according to a recently leaked American document. It has just 80 or so left
often travels by air for work. But rarely does this involve skimming at low altitude over the summer homes that dot Sweden’s Baltic coastline, breaking the sound barrier and taking the controls of a Gripen fighter jet for several rolls and loops. In the cockpit, next to the pilot, wisely out of your correspondent’s reach, is a small switch that allows the Swedish plane to be pushed to its limits. It is set to “peace”. The flick of a finger would toggle it to “war”.
The Gripen, built by Saab, a Swedish company, is one candidate. In many ways, it is ideally suited to Ukraine’s needs. It was designed specifically to defend Swedish airspace from Russian jets, rather than fancier tasks like penetrating deep behind enemy lines for strike missions. It was also built to land on short runways and even roads, in circumstances where traditional air bases have been struck by missiles.
It also has some drawbacks. One problem is cost. The Gripen is much cheaper to fly and maintain. The other issue, says Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank in London, is the state of Ukraine’s airfields. Soviet runways were built like floor tiling: panels of concrete blocks with sealant in between. That allows them to withstand the expansion and contraction from extreme heat and cold. It also means that moss, stones and other debris accumulates in between.
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