In November, at one of the British air bases, Sweden and the United Kingdom conducted the Viking Flame exercise, during which they tested new means of protecting aircraft from modern threats — notably missiles and hostile radars.
Testing Gripen protection systems
Two Swedish fighters, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, took part in the event, conducting flights with upgraded electronic protection systems and countermeasures. In six test sorties they simulated various threats, including radar jamming and attacks by surface-to-air missile systems.
The Easyrider project and NATO modernization
The tests were held under the British Easyrider project, which enables rapid testing and deployment of new defense technologies without lengthy bureaucratic procedures. The data obtained are intended to be used to modernize aircraft in NATO countries.
In addition, there were reports that a major Swedish defense company intends to set up production of air defense systems in Ukraine. For 2026, Ukraine's plans provide a record UAH 955 billion for the procurement and production of armaments.
