The Ukrainian Air Force will have its own Airborne Early Warning capabilities thanks to the donation of Saab 340 AEW aircraft by Sweden.
Key takeaways:
- The Saab 340 AEW aircraft will significantly enhance Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
- The aircraft will complement the future F-16 fighter fleet and provide a force multiplier effect.
- The Swedish aid package also includes AMRAAM missiles and support for air surveillance and command and control.
Yesterday, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, at Kiev’s request, announced that Stockholm was suspending plans to transfer JAS-39 Gripen C/D fighters, as the Ukrainian Air Force is focused on the rapid incorporation of the F-16 (the number of aircraft committed is 85 units) and does not have the material and human resources to cope with the incorporation of two different weapons systems.
However, today Pål Jonson announced that Sweden would make an even more significant contribution to the Ukrainian war effort, with the donation of the two last SAAB 340 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft currently in service with the Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet).
Just announced: Sweden will donate a new military capability to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence. Package 16 will be the largest ???????? military aid package yet at €1,16bln. Sweden will donate Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890) to ????????. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/iRqGeQE9oJ
— Pål Jonson (@PlJonson) May 29, 2024
The aircraft are part of the 16th Swedish military aid to Ukraine, worth around €1.16 billion, which will act as a force multiplier for the future fleet of F-16 fighters. According to the Swedish government, the ASC 890s will provide Ukraine with a completely new capability against air and sea targets. Ukraine’s ability to identify and attack targets at long range will be strengthened. The package will also include a holistic solution including training, technical equipment and methodological support for air surveillance and command and control.
This military aid package also includes the donation of AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles, which can be adapted for use as anti-aircraft ammunition for the NASAMS system.
SAAB 340 AEW
The four Saab 340 AEW aircraft originally acquired began to be delivered to the Svenska Flygvapnet (where they received the original designation S100 B/FSR890) in the late 1990s. The main sensor system of these aircraft is the Erieye side-scan AESA radar, with a coverage of 300 degrees and the ability to detect a fighter-sized target at a distance of 250 km. The aircraft can remain airborne over the deployment area for between 5 and 6 hours, normally flying below 6,000 meters.
Following modernization and internal modifications, with the addition of air combat controllers and air commanders on board (previously command and control functions were performed from the ground), the system in its current form has been operational since 2010, acquiring the designation S100 D/ASC890.
Of the original four aircraft, Sweden kept two units operational within the 74th Special Aircraft Squadron, based at Malmen airport outside Linköping, and the other pair of aircraft was sold to Poland.
While Sweden acknowledges that the donation will lead to a temporary decrease in its defense capabilities, this will be addressed through the acquisition of additional GlobalEye S 106 aircrafts and the early delivery of the two GlobalEye previously ordered from Saab.
