Brazilian Air Force Gripen F-39Es Starts Operational Activites
On December 19, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) held a ceremony which marked the beginning of operational activities of Saab Gripen E fighters. The ceremony was held at Anápolis Air Base. The FAB had ordered 28 Gripen Es and eight Gripen Fs.
The Gripen F-39, as the FAB calls the type, underwent a flight test phase in Brazil that started in September 2020 with the arrival of the test aircraft in the country. At the event two Gripen fighters made a presentation flight. The Brazilian pilots had carried out their training with Gripen E in Sweden and on mission trainers installed at Anápolis Air Base.
In November, Saab had achieved the certification necessary for the military use of Gripen E, which attests that the aircraft has met certain airworthiness and flight safety requirements. This was granted by the Swedish Military Aviation Safety Inspectorate (FLYGI) as well as the Industrial Fostering and Coordination Institute (IFI) in Brazil. The joint certification reflects the synergy obtained through the technical cooperation between the two authorities in each country, Saab stated. Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson said:
“The start of operational activities with Gripen E by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is an extremely important day. It marks the beginning of a new operational era for FAB but also is the result of years of hard work done in partnership with the Air Force and with our Brazilian industry partners: Embraer, AEL Sistemas, Akaer, Atech, and our own subsidiaries in Brazil. Brazil now has one of the most advanced fighters in the world. This is currently the most extensive ongoing technology transfer programme in Brazil and it is definitely the largest one ever done by any Swedish company, bringing to the Brazilian defence industry the knowledge to develop, produce, test and maintain an advanced supersonic fighter. We are very proud to be a strategic partner to Brazil.”
At least 15 of the Gripens ordered are to be built in Brazil at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility. The FAB plans to eventually acquire 108 Gripen F-39s. Brazil is currently the only export customer for the Gripen E.
Meanwhile on December 16, Saab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) signed a contract to ensure the continued operability of and provide capability enhancements to the Gripen C/D. Jonas Hjelm, Head of Saab’s business area Aeronautics, said:
“This upgrade will provide the Swedish Air Force with a significantly stronger fighter capability. The contract is a big leap ahead in terms of radar performance and functionality, both for the hardware and software, and will future-proof the operational capability of Gripen C/D.”
The order value is approximately SEK 3.5 billion and the contract period runs from 2023-2029. The contract also includes options that enable FMV to place additional orders for capability enhancements during 2023.