Sweden Pledges Airborne Early Warning Aircraft For Ukraine
Sweden announced on Wednesday that it would be donating two airborne early warning and command aircraft as military aid to Ukraine, as part of its largest-yet military aid package.
In a statement, Stockholm pledged its Saab-built ASC 890 Airborne Surveillance and Control Aircraft, as well as a “holistic solution” providing the Ukrainian Air Force with training, technical and methodological support for air surveillance and command and control.
While the statement did not provide a timeframe for when the AEW&C aircraft will be delivered and crews trained, it said that the donation would “entail a temporary decrease of Sweden’s defence capability”, which will be addressed by procuring additional S 106 GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft from Saab and accelerating the Swedish Air Force’s existing order for two new GlobalEye aircraft.
Also known as the Saab 340 AEW&C, the ASC 890 is equipped with Saab’s Erieye active electronically scanned radar, allowing the crew to detect and track friendly and hostile assets in the air, on land and at sea, as well as coordinate friendly air operations.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said “intensive discussions” with members of the coalition providing fighter jets to Ukraine found that the donation of the ASC 890s would have the largest impact, as it would provide Ukraine with capabilities it does not currently have.
The aid package also includes an unspecified number of AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, which Stockholm says will be redesigned to suit ground-based anti-aircraft systems.
In addition to the ASC 890 and AMRAAM donations, Stockholm has also pledged to donate its entire stock of PBV 302 infantry fighting vehicles, inclusive of their spare parts, maintenance equipment and ammunition.
Other components of the SEK 13.3 billion aid package include 155mm artillery shells, surplus fuel transport vehicles, financial support to capability coalitions, funds and temporary initiatives procuring materiel for Ukraine, donations of satellite communications terminals and their subscriptions, as well as tasking the Swedish Defence Research Agency with supporting Ukraine’s establishment of its own defense research institute.