Ukraine Receives First Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C ‘Flying Radar’

<p >The first of two Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C ‘flying radar’ airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems donated to Ukraine has arrived in the Eastern European country, according to a report by the UNIAN news agency, with the aircraft reported to have already made its first test flight in the Lviv Region. Otherwise referred to as the ACS-890, the aircraft were first introduced into the Swedish Air Force in 1997, although limited successes marketing the class for export means that only 12 were ever built. The donation of the aircraft was announced on May 29, 2024 by the Swedish Ministry of Defence as part of the 16th military support package to Ukraine. AEW&Cs deploy oversized radars, in this case the Erieye radar, and are able to better manage the battlespace from the air, provide warning of incoming threats, and in some cases even guide fighters’ air to air missiles to their targets. The Saab 340 is one of the more conservative and less capable AEW&C designs in service, with its capabilities comparing poorly to those of world leading systems such as the American E-7 and Chinese KJ-500. The system ended production in the late 1990s, and is expected to be significantly more straightforward to jam than 21st century AEW&Cs. The looming obsolescence of the aircraft is considered a primary reason why the decision was taken to donate them as aid.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/23/article_68086c79daa789_11172367.jpg" title="Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-31BM Interceptor"></p><p >With the exception of a small number of remaining Soviet built Su-27 fighters, the Ukrainian Air Force’s fighter fleet is overwhelmingly reliant on lightweight fighter aircraft with relatively small mechanically scanned array radars that have long since been considered obsolete, namely the F-16, Mirage 2000 and MiG-29. With these fighters carrying sensor suites fractions of the sizes of those of modern Russian fighters such as the Su-30SM and Su-35, the use of AEW&Cs is vital to bridging the gap in situational awareness. The <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/while-elephant-asset-why-sending-saab-340-flying-radars-to-ukraine-will-not-end-well-for-kiev" target="_blank">vulnerability</a> of very high value, large and non-manoeuvrable aircraft like the Saab 340 nevertheless remains high, with Russian forces having demonstrated that even small fighters sized aircraft can be successfully targeted deep into Ukrainian controlled airspace. Assets such as the R-37M air-to-air missile and 40N6 surface-to-air missile are considered to pose particularly high threats to AEW&Cs, and have extended ranges of 400 kilometres. </p><p >The R-37M has been <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/longest-ranged-aam-performs-ukraine-su57" >combat tested extensively</a> in Ukraine, and is deployed by <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/mig31-teaching-ukraine-most-dangerous" >MiG-31BM</a> interceptors that deploy the world’s largest radars designed for air-to-air engagements, which allows them to guide missiles to targets at their full ranges without support from other sensors. The 40N6 missile achieves its full targeting range despite being launched from the ground by following a unique trajectory, which involves ascending to extreme near space altitudes before descending towards its target, providing an unparalleled over the horizon strike capability. Use of one of these missiles against Ukrainian targets was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-combat-tests-s400-400km-pairing-a50" >first reported</a> by credible sources on November 7, 2023. </p>

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