STOCKHOLM — Just three days after Sweden closed a $550 million deal with Bangkok for four Gripen E/F fighter jets, a high-level Peruvian delegation in search of its own more modern fighter fleet visited Stockholm to hold talks with their Swedish counterparts about Saab’s Gripen.
“We had good and productive discussions,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Breaking Defense after talks at Karlberg Palace on Wednesday, when asked about a potential Gripen deal with Lima. “This is for the Peruvians to make up their mind on what platform that best corresponds to their operational needs. We think that Saab has an attractive offer.”
The Peruvian delegation, which included Defense Minister Walter Astudillo, is visiting Europe to conduct final evaluations and review updated proposals for the Swedish Saab Gripen E and, on the next stop in Paris, the French Dassault Rafale F4. In May a similar delegation visited the US, where officials visited a Lockheed Martin facility, to discuss F-16s.
The Peruvian Air Force (FAP) currently operates a fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets, acquired in the 1980s, alongside Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25s, purchased secondhand from Belarus in the 1990s.
FAP Commander, Gen. Enrique Chavez Cateriano has emphasized the need for a modern fleet of 24 multi-role aircraft “to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our country for the next 30-40 years.”
In Stockholm, Defense Minister Jonson said the discussions also included Saab’s Global Eye airborne early warning and control platform.
“There was just deliberation in that regard. We discussed many aspects of Swedish Defense Force postures,” Jonson said.
The Swedish parliament, Riksdagen, has authorized the government to negotiate a deal for up to 12 Gripen aircraft. Lima has said it eventually wants 24, and now the Swedish Defense minister says that negotiating for up to 24 would be okay.
“Yeah, that’s always an ongoing dialog on the government agency level, between the Peruvian side and the Swedish side. We think we have an attractive offer, and also we certainly could adapt to any requirements that the Peruvian side expresses,” he said.
Some Peruvian media previously suggested there was worry over the Gripen E’s unproven combat record, pointing out that, although the earlier Gripen C/D variants have been deployed for patrol and training missions, they lack experience in high-intensity conflicts. However, since then the Thai air force reportedly used Gripen C/D jets for a strike mission in a July 2025 border conflict with Cambodia.
Similar to Sweden’s recent $550 million Gripen deal with Thailand, an offset package — including technology transfers, industrial cooperation, and investments in Peru’s economy — would likely be included if Saab secures a deal with Peru.
A Peruvian contract would expand Saab’s presence in South America, adding another operator of its Gripen fighter jets. Colombia’s recent selection of the Gripen, as reported by Breaking Defense, further strengthens Saab’s regional expansion.
Saab already collaborates closely with Brazil through its Gripen program, which includes a production line in Sao Paulo for development, final assembly, testing, and evaluation. In 2014, Brazil signed a $5.4 billion contract with Saab for 36 Gripen aircraft — 28 single-seat Gripen E models and 8 two-seat Gripen F variants — with deliveries on schedule for completion by 2027, according to Saab’s factsheet.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Jonas Olsson
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://breakingdefense.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
