Sweden revises air force strategy to strike deep inside Russia

October 4, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

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Sweden has revised its air force doctrine to include strikes deep inside Russian territory in response to an attack. The plan calls for JAS 39 Gripen jets armed with Taurus KEPD cruise missiles with a range of up to 500 km. Sweden may also acquire missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km.

Key Facts

Colonel Carl Bergqvist, head of the Swedish Air Force's Air Operations Centre, said Russia should not expect Sweden to limit itself to defensive action.
The concept is built around JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter jets equipped with Taurus KEPD cruise missiles with a range of up to 500 km.
Sweden may acquire missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km, exceeding the 1,200 km distance between Stockholm and Moscow.
The plan calls for dispersing combat aircraft and using roads as runways, and strengthening air defenses and intelligence with satellites and drones.

Doctrine Shift

Sweden has changed its air force doctrine for responding to an attack, moving beyond defense to include strikes against enemy rear areas, including targets deep inside Russian territory. Colonel Carl Bergqvist, head of the Swedish Air Force's Air Operations Centre, said that in the event of an attack, Russia should not expect Sweden's military to limit itself to defensive action. The shift goes beyond new weapons: Sweden is also preparing its aircraft to operate from places an attacker may not expect.

Weapons and Aircraft

The concept is to be built around JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter jets equipped with Taurus KEPD cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 500 km and are designed to strike heavily fortified ground targets. Sweden may also acquire missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km, compared to the distance between Stockholm and Moscow of about 1,200 km. The plan calls for dispersing combat aircraft and using roads as runways, and Sweden intends to strengthen its air defenses and intelligence capabilities with the help of satellites and drones.