Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the Swedish-supplied ASC 890 airborne early warning and control aircraft flew its first combat sorties over Ukraine in March 2026, the first official acknowledgment that the type has moved from delivery into operational use.
The disclosure appeared in a ministry explainer on the Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC), published in Ukrainian on September 4, 2026. The AFCC was established in October 2023 under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It is co-led by Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States and includes 14 member states.
The ASC 890 gives Ukraine its first and only dedicated airborne early warning and control capability. Prior to the Swedish transfer, the Ukrainian Air Force did not operate an aircraft of this type. The ministry has not disclosed a figure for sorties flown, an operating location or a mission profile.
ASC 890 entered combat service in March 2026
Sweden announced the transfer in May 2024 as part of its 16th military support package for Ukraine. The Ukrainian ministry confirmed the transfer in August 2025, and the first combat sorties followed in March 2026.
The ASC 890 is a Saab 340 regional turboprop fitted with an Erieye active electronically scanned array radar. The ministry said the type can detect airborne targets at long range, coordinate combat air operations and enable more effective use of fighter aircraft.
Known in Swedish service as the S 100D Argus, the ASC 890 is a rebuild of the earlier S 100B Argus, which entered service in 1997, with NATO-compatible command-and-control and additional mission consoles.
Saab gives the Erieye radar an instrumented range of 450 kilometers (280 miles) and a detection range of about 350 kilometers against fighter-sized targets in heavy clutter or jamming. The fixed antenna scans 150 degrees to each side, leaving blind sectors directly ahead of and behind the aircraft.
Sweden had committed to replacing the type before the donation. It ordered two GlobalEye aircraft, designated S 106, in June 2022 and exercised an option for a third in June 2024. The Swedish government said in May 2024 that it would advance those deliveries to offset the loss of capability. Entry into service is expected in 2027.
The ministry added that, alongside the F-16, Mirage 2000 and Gripen, the ASC 890 forms the basis of a network-centric air combat system aligned with NATO standards.
Ukraine awaits its first Gripen fighters
On June 30, 2026, Saab signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for 16 new-build Gripen E fighters for Ukraine. The order is worth approximately SEK 24.6 billion, around $2.5 billion at the exchange rate on the signing date, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030.
Sweden has separately pledged 16 older-generation Gripen C/D fighters from Swedish Air Force stocks as military aid, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2027.