Sweden’s government has chosen to send military units to Finland, including JAS 39 Gripen fighters that would patrol areas along the Finnish-Russian border, public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) reported on August 28, 2026.
According to SVT, the Finnish government requested military support from Sweden and Stockholm approved the deployment. The reported composition of the force remains based on unnamed sources, but comments from the two countries’ defense ministers indicated that an operation was moving forward.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that the two allies shared a commitment to strong deterrence and defense in the Baltic region and on NATO’s eastern flank. His Finnish counterpart, Antti Häkkänen, noted that the operation would be coordinated with NATO and would expand existing bilateral air and maritime cooperation.
Neither minister confirmed the number of aircraft or ships involved, their operating bases, the deployment date or the mission’s duration.
Swedish Gripen jets and warships expected in Finland
SVT reported that Gripen fighters and Swedish naval vessels would deploy to Finland in the near term and patrol areas considered at risk along the border with Russia. Swedish Army counter-drone units could follow during the autumn, if required.
The deployment would use an established bilateral mechanism. Under Sweden’s 2020 act on operational military support between Sweden and Finland, the government may deploy Swedish forces at Finland’s request to help prevent violations of Finnish territory, provided Sweden is not at war, and no armed conflict is underway on Finnish soil. The mechanism allows Stockholm to act without a separate vote in the Riksdag.
Swedish Gripens previously deployed for NATO missions from Malbork in Poland in 2025 as well as Keflavik in Iceland in February and March 2026. The reported mission would place Swedish fighters in Finland for an operational territorial-surveillance task along NATO’s border with Russia.
Airspace incursions and drone alerts in 2026
Finland has recorded a series of airspace incidents during 2026. On August 20, the Finnish Ministry of Defense claimed that a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft had entered Finnish airspace south of Utö. According to the Finnish Border Guard, the intrusion lasted about three minutes and extended just under nine kilometers into Finnish territory.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) suspended traffic for three hours on May 15, 2026, following a regional drone warning. Two drones also came down in southeastern Finland on March 29, 2026.
Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornets currently carry the country’s air-policing and identification duties. Neither government has stated when the Swedish patrols are due to begin or whether the Gripens will operate from a Finnish air base or fly missions from Sweden.