Sweden Sends Saab ASC 890 Reconnaissance Aircraft to Ukraine, Establishing an Air 'Duet' with F-16 Fighter Jets

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson. (Twitter/@olleksireznikov)

JAKARTA - Ukraine will have an air duet that will increase its air force capabilities for the war against Russia, as Sweden announced plans to send radar surveillance and command aircraft on Wednesday as part of the country's largest military aid package for Kyiv which reached

Sweden will donate two radar surveillance planes and a command plane to Ukraine to bolster its defenses in the war against Russia, the Swedish government said on Wednesday, as part of its biggest aid package to Ukraine so far worth around 13.3 billion Swedish krona (IDR 20,235,221,346,200).

The aircraft to be sent is the Saab Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASC) 890. This aircraft has long-range target identification capabilities.

The capabilities of this aircraft will build an air duet using F-16 fighter jets which are planned to be donated by Western countries.

"These aircraft will complement and strengthen the F-16 system," said Defense Minister Pal Jonson at a press conference in Stockholm, reported by Reuters, May 30.

Quoting the Kyiv Post, the Swedish aid package will include training and technical equipment for aircraft.

As part of the aid package, Sweden will transfer its entire fleet of Pansarbandvagn 302 (Pbv 302) armored personnel carriers to form a new Ukrainian Army brigade.

The package also includes Rb 99 missiles that can be used on fighter aircraft as well as land-based air defense systems, artillery ammunition and resources for maintenance of previously transferred equipment.

Last week, the Swedish government said it plans to provide military support to Ukraine worth 75 billion Swedish krona (IDR 114,106,794,675,000) over three years.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he hoped the F-16 fighter jets to be delivered by the West would arrive soon.

The F-16 fighter jet is a logical choice for Kyiv, which relies on smaller Soviet-era fighter jets, to improve its air defense while fending off Russian fighter jets.

Equipped with an advanced radar system, the Saab ASC 890 can detect and track a large number of objects in the battle space, including fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and naval targets.

sea. This aircraft is equipped with a fixed radar that monitors up to 120 degrees on each side. Usually flying at an altitude of 6-7 km, they are capable of detecting air and sea vehicles (planes, ships, missiles) at a distance of 300-400 km.

This aircraft has a length of 20 meters, a wingspan of 21 meters. Meanwhile, its flight capability can reach up to 5 hours.

It is known that the Ukrainian Air Force will receive more than 60 F-16s from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. These countries, along with the US, UK, Romania, France and Bulgaria, have mobilized staff, aircraft and ground facilities to train Ukrainians in flying and maintaining the fighter aircraft.