The Saab 340 AEW, also called the S 100D Argus, will enhance Ukraine’s situational awareness when facing Russian cruise missile and kamikaze drone barrages.
Ukraine appears to have received its first Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, after the Swedish Saab 340 airborne radar was spotted flying in an unofficial video that emerged on Mar. 20, 2026. The subsequent chat thread in the X post claimed that the video, which first emerged on a Russian Telegram channel, had been recorded in Sweden but, as other users pointed out, the voices in the background are of people speaking Ukrainian.
The video therefore appears to be legitimate, although it is not known when and where the video was captured, but so far there is little to suggest the video is fake or taken in a country outside Ukraine. The Saab 340 can be clearly identified with its distinctive ‘balance beam’ radar fairing on top of the fuselage.
Military aid to Ukraine updated with:
Delivered:
– 🇸🇪 “Unknown number of” Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircrafthttps://t.co/GCnv3eA85k pic.twitter.com/ugixlwYNsa
— Jeff2146🇧🇪 (@Jeff21461) March 20, 2026
This development comes nearly two years after Sweden announced it would transfer the AEW&C aircraft to Ukraine on May 29, 2024. The transfer of two S 100D Argus, as the aircraft is designated in Sweden, was a part of a larger 13.3 billion Krona ($1.3 billion) defense package that also included armored carriers and artillery ammunition.
The aircraft can go a long way in detecting the air-launched Kh-101 long-range missiles that Russia sometimes fires as deep as western Ukraine. At the same time, the Saab 340 would also reduce dependence on European and NATO airborne early warning resources – at least for aerial radar surveillance of its airspace.
Radar and electronic reconnaissance missions skirting Belarusian and Russian borders over the Baltic and Nordic airspace would continue to be the remit of the alliance’s and the U.S. Air Force’s E-3 Sentry AWACS and RC-135 Rivet Joints – at least for the near future.
The Swedish Deliveries Increase Ukrainian Capabilities
Sweden has announced more than 200 APCs for Ukraine, a few missiles, and their Two radar aircraft, the 340 AEW.
These Saab-340 AEW (ASC-890 AEW&C) aircraft are equipped with side-looking AFAR radars, capable of operating… pic.twitter.com/AXXEiToPYg
— Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64) May 31, 2024
Saab 340 AEW&C
The Saab 340 AEW&C is based on the twin-turboprop Saab 340, whose primary sensor is the Erieye radar, with the overall system being designated as the S 100D Argus or the Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASC) 890 by Sweden. The Erieye is a fixed non-movable Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) that has been reported to have a range of 300-400 km, with a major limitation being the side-facing arrays not allowing front and rear surveillance.
Sweden operated only two of these aircraft, both of which were donated to Ukraine, while the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) awaits the more advanced Saab GlobalEye AEW&C. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is another S 100D Argus user, operating two of the platforms since 2012.
Przestrzeń powietrzna pod specjalnym nadzorem. Polskie Saab 340 AEW rozpoczynają dyżury operacyjne@MON_GOV_PL @SztabGenWP @DGeneralneRSZ @DowOperSZ https://t.co/XJW2vB8phg pic.twitter.com/aIYLMfBd59
— polska_zbrojna (@Polska_Zbrojna) November 22, 2024
The Polish Air Force (PolAF) is another user of the aircraft, with two acquired second-hand from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2024. Although satisfied with the platform as an interim arrangement, the service had touched upon other issues, such as the absence of a Link 16 datalink that thus prevents networking with other NATO and European assets.
How would Ukraine use it?
When the transfer was announced, reports mentioned that Ukrainian Air Force (UkrAF) personnel would be trained by the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet), with the training lasting around a year. As mentioned earlier, the Saab 340 AEW would give Ukraine an increase in situational awareness while countering Russian attacks.
The Saab 340 can fly at altitudes of 20,000 feet providing Ukrainian air defense’s command and control a significant boost in situational awareness on incoming low-flying ALCMs and Geran-type One-Way Attack (OWA) drones.
However, it can be safe to say that flying the aircraft anywhere beyond western Ukraine in support of F-16 and Mirage 2000 operations would put them within reach of the 300 km range R-37M missiles carried by Russian Su-35S and Su-30SM/SM2 jets. Being a high value asset, the AEW aircraft would fly in areas where Ukraine has air superiority to preserve the important capability.
Interception of Russian cruise missiles by Ukrainian F-16 pilots during today’s Russian mass attack. It is noted that the absolute majority of downed Russian cruise missiles today are the result of the work of F-16 crews. https://t.co/d4t2ameqHa pic.twitter.com/Ilgd80OcVR
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 20, 2025
Ukraine may also elect to periodically move the aircraft, as it has done with its fighter jets since the start of the war, to avoid its main operating base coming under a Russian missile strike. Ukrainian bases have often been targeted by the Kh-101 and the Kh-69 (X-69) air-launched cruise missiles, with the former having a reported range of 2,500-2,800 km, as per the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The Saab 340 would go a long way in tracking the Kh-101, before it hits what Russia frequently describes as energy infrastructure, “civilian-military” and “military-industrial” targets. The weapon is known to maneuver mid-flight to avoid interception, has decoy-dispensing versions and has struck as far as Ternopil and Lviv in far-western Ukraine.
Ukraine has recently used its western F-16s and Mirage 2000s to shoot down the Kh-101s with AIM-9 Sidewinders and R550 Magic short-range AAMs, respectively. Although effective, the missions wear down the airframes with asymmetric roles.
Footage published today by the Ukrainian Air Force showing a French-supplied Mirage 2000-5F with six kill marks for Russian cruise missiles, likely Kh-101s downed during missions over Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/i1vggw6OkM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 17, 2025
Ukraine had also signed on for 100-150 Gripen fighters in October 2025. Even without the Swedish fighter jet, the Saab 340/S 100D Argus AEW&C aircraft will exponentially ease target prioritization and assignment of targets during front-wide Russian missile and drone barrages.
