Sweden Wants 10 More Gripen Aircraft, Defense Minister Says

Sweden should procure 10 additional JAS Gripen aircraft in adding up to a total 70 jets it has already agreed to procure, the country’s Defense Mininster Karin Enstrom said Friday.

Enstrom’s comments came in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine and also of widely publicized Russian military flight incidents last year, when Moscow attack aircraft flew practice missions over Sweden, reported Radio Sweden.

Those flights and the ongoing insecurity in Ukraine has alarmed Swedish officials.

"Russia's actions in and around Ukraine has led to uncertainty in Europe. What happened in the past has made it really necessary to strengthen Sweden's defense," Enstrom told the Swedish daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. 

Parliament had already agreed to purchase 60 Jas Gripen's, which are made and designed by Saab AB, but Enstrom believes that 10 more should be bought. 

Any purchase would be preceded by proper procurement and pricing protocols to ensure fairness and transparency, she said.