Gripens bound for Ukraine could be built in Canada: Saab

OTTAWA — Swedish defence firm Saab says if Ottawa chooses to buy its Gripen E fighter jets, Canada could end up building some of the aircraft destined for Ukraine’s air force.

Saab says up to 20 of its Gripen jets will be built for Ukraine under a European Union support loan agreement and Sweden will donate 16 older-model Gripens to the war-torn country.

Saab’s deputy CEO Andres Carp told The Canadian Press that Canada could become a production and export site and could deliver Gripens to Ukraine if the federal government chooses to invest in the product itself.

“It has been discussed, offered for Canada for instance that, should they choose the Gripen and they want production in Canada, that could be one site to send Gripen to Ukraine from,” he said.

Carp made the comments at the Cansec trade show in Ottawa, standing in front of a replica of the company’s Gripen E in the convention centre parking lot.

Gripens can take about 36 months to build.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has been reviewing whether to proceed with a full order of 88 F-35 fighter jets for more than a year now.

Carp said Ottawa has not given Saab any timeline for completing that review.

“We’re patient. We understand this is a very complex question,” Carp said.

Carney started the political review of the F-35 procurement in March of last year, not long after U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war with Canada.

Carney announced on Wednesday that Canada is entering negotiations with Saab to acquire a fleet of new surveillance aircraft.

But the Carney government says the choice to pursue Saab’s GlobalEye will not affect the government’s decision in the fighter jet review.

Defence Minister David McGuinty said Wednesday Ottawa will “take the time we need to take to get this right.”

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said at a press conference at the Cansec trade expo on Wednesday that

Canada has already put money down for 16 F-35s and will start testing the first of them next year.

The American firm Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35, showcased during the trade show its economic contributions and partnerships in Canada, saying it supports some 4,500 jobs across the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press