Ukraine already using ASC 890 surveillance aircraft in combat, Sweden says
Ukraine adopted ASC 890 for the first time in March (Photo: Pål Jonson/X)
Ukraine is already using the Swedish-supplied ASC 890 airborne early warning aircraft in combat operations, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said in an interview with Dagens Industri published on Sept. 7.
According to Jonson, the aircraft has been taking part in operations by Ukraine’s Defense Forces for some time, and the Ukrainian side has highly rated its capabilities.
“It gives Ukraine an important ability to detect threats at long range and manage its forces more effectively,” Jonson said.
One of the aircraft’s key roles could be detecting low-flying targets, including cruise missiles, which are harder to track using ground-based radar systems.
Sweden announced in 2024 that it would transfer two ASC 890 aircraft to Ukraine. Jonson noted that at the time of the transfer, Sweden’s own air force had not yet received replacements for those systems.
Stockholm expects to receive its first GlobalEye radar intelligence system in early 2027, he said.
On Sept. 4, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the Swedish ASC 890 airborne early warning and control aircraft, also known as the Saab 340 AEW&C, has been involved in combat missions since March 2026.
Sweden’s transfer of Saab 340 AEW aircraft to Ukraine
In May 2024, Swedish Prime Minister’s press secretary Tom Samuelsson said Ukraine would receive two ASC 890 radar aircraft as part of a new military aid package.
According to then-Air Force spokesman Illia Yevlash, the transfer was expected to be a major reinforcement for the F-16 fighters already supplied to Ukraine and would help Ukrainian forces detect targets from a safer distance.
Defense Express described the transfer of the Swedish radar surveillance and command aircraft as a historic event for Ukraine, noting that the Ukrainian armed forces had sought airborne early warning aircraft throughout the country’s 33 years of independence.
In August 2025, then-Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal officially confirmed for the first time that Sweden had transferred ASC 890 aircraft to Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine and Sweden also agreed on joint defense production in both countries.
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