DefenseSaab has completed the first Gripen E fighter assembled in Brazil, with the aircraft unveiled on March 25 at Embraer’s industrial facility in Gavião Peixoto.
The rollout marks a step in the country’s effort to establish local production of advanced combat aircraft under a technology transfer agreement signed in 2014. The program covers 36 Gripen fighters for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), including 15 aircraft to be assembled in Brazil.
The newly completed jet will undergo ground and flight testing before entering service. Brazil has already received 11 Gripen E aircraft, all built in Sweden and currently based at Anápolis Air Force Base.
Brazil is the first operator of the Gripen E/F variant, ahead of Sweden,which received its first aircraft last year. The fighter has also secured export customers, with Thailand and Colombia selecting the Gripen to strengthen their air forces.
Production in Brazil involves both domestic and international suppliers, including aerostructures manufactured at Saab’s facility in the southern of the country. The remaining aircraft in the Brazilian assembly batch are expected to follow the same industrial process.
The Gripen E is a single-engine, multirole fighter equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, network-centric systems and a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
Brazil’s Gripen program includes 28 single-seat E variants and eight two-seat F models, with deliveries starting in 2020.
