Colombia Bought a Swedish Fighter Jet With an American Engine

Colombia · Defense

Colombia has bought a European fighter jet with an American heart, a choice that quietly hands Washington a say over a deal meant to assert Colombian independence.

When a country buys a fighter jet, it likes to think it is making a sovereign choice. Colombia’s latest purchase shows how blurred that idea can become.

In late 2025 Colombia signed a deal for seventeen Gripen jets built by Sweden’s Saab. For a reader abroad, it was a landmark, the largest aircraft purchase in the country’s history.

The agreement is worth around three and a half billion dollars. It will replace Colombia’s elderly Israeli-made Kfir jets, which have flown for the air force for more than three decades.

The order itself is a mix of two versions. It covers fifteen single-seat fighters and two twin-seat models, with deliveries spread across several years from 2026 onward.

Sweden sweetened the offer with more than aircraft. The package includes broad technology-sharing deals reaching into areas like cybersecurity, clean energy and water treatment.

Yet the most interesting part of the deal is hidden under the hood. The Swedish jet runs on an engine made in the United States.

The American engine in a Swedish fighter jet

The Gripen is unmistakably a Swedish aircraft. But like most modern jets, it is assembled from parts made around the world.

Its single engine is built by General Electric, an American company. Without that engine, the jet simply cannot fly, which gives the component outsized importance.

American export rules cover any sale of that engine abroad. In practice, that means Washington has a say in who is allowed to buy the Swedish jet that depends on it.

It is a quiet but powerful form of leverage. A country can choose a non-American jet and still find that the United States holds a key to the deal.

There is a way around it, in theory. France’s Rafale is built without American parts, making it immune to this kind of pressure, and analysts noted Colombia could have turned to it if the engine were blocked.

A scare, then a signature

That leverage was not just theoretical. Early in 2026, reports suggested Washington might block the export of the engine to Colombia altogether.

Analysts read it as a nudge toward an American jet. By squeezing the engine, the United States could make the rival F-16 look like the safer bet.

In the end the deal survived. The signing of a binding contract signalled that the export concerns had been resolved, and Colombia’s defense ministry said the agreement faced no such restrictions.

The episode still left a mark. It showed how close a major purchase had come to unravelling over a single foreign-made part.

Why it matters beyond Colombia

The story sits inside a wider contest for the skies of South America. Sweden’s Gripen and America’s F-16 are competing to become the region’s standard fighter.

Colombia’s choice keeps the Gripen in the game, alongside Brazil, which builds the jet at home. Neighbouring Peru, by contrast, recently swung the other way toward the American aircraft.

The deal is also politically charged at home. Relations between Colombia’s government and Washington have been tense, and some figures even urged the United States to pause the sale.

For a foreign reader, the lesson is about the limits of independence. Even a sovereign defense choice can run through a factory floor in another country.

It is a pattern likely to recur as more nations shop for jets. So long as the best engines and electronics come from a handful of powers, those powers keep a hand on the controls.

Colombia, for now, appears to have threaded the needle. It secured the jet it wanted while accepting that a measure of dependence came built into the deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fighter jet did Colombia buy?

Colombia signed a contract for seventeen Saab Gripen E/F jets from Sweden in late 2025. The deal is worth about three and a half billion dollars and will replace its aging Kfir fleet.

Why can the US influence the deal?

The Swedish jet is powered by an American-made General Electric engine. Because US export rules cover that component, Washington holds a measure of control over where the aircraft can be sold.

Was the deal blocked?

There were reports in early 2026 that the US might block the engine export, but the deal ultimately went ahead. The binding contract indicated the export concerns had been resolved.