First batch of Gripen jets to arrive in Ukraine with long-range Meteor missiles – Defense Ministry

The first batch of Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets will arrive in Ukraine within the next 10 months together with long-range Meteor missiles, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said.

"Gripen aircraft with Meteor missiles can help push Russian aviation farther away and reduce the enemy's ability to make massive use of aerial bombs," the ministry said on its website.

According to the Defense Ministry, Meteor is a long-range air-to-air missile produced by European defense group MBDA. It has a range of more than 100 kilometers, while its maximum range can reach up to 200 kilometers. The missile is capable of reaching speeds of about 4,600 kilometers per hour.

Meteor is equipped with an active radar homing head and a ramjet engine.

"This gives it the ability to maintain high speed throughout its flight trajectory and effectively engage aerial targets at long range. These characteristics make Meteor one of the most powerful tools in the class of long-range air-to-air missiles. Gripen jets armed with such missiles will be able to create a constant threat to carriers of guided aerial bombs, including Su-34 aircraft, pushing them away from the front line," the Defense Ministry said.