Caza Gripen lands in Gavião Peixoto after making its first flight in Brazilian airspace | São Carlos and Araraquara

During the approximately one hour flight, the fighter was accompanied by two F-5M aircraft belonging to the First Squadron of the Fourteenth Aviation Group – Pampa Squadron. Two FAB helicopters stayed on Search and Rescue alert in Pirassununga and Florianópolis for any eventuality.

The Gripen is the first F-39E of the 36 units that had the purchase announced in 2013 from the Swedish company Saab.

The test program will now include the Gripen Flight Test Center at Embraer, in Gavião Peixoto, which will be fully integrated into the test program that has been running at Saab, in Linköping, Sweden, since 2017..

Activities in Brazil include tests on climate control and flight control systems and aircraft testing in tropical weather conditions. In addition to the tests that are common to the Gripen E Program aircraft, Brazil will test unique characteristics of Brazilian aircraft, such as the integration of weapons and the Link BR2 communication system, which provides encrypted data and voice communication between the aircraft. .

• The first Gripen fighter produced by Embraer de Gavião Peixoto will be delivered in 2024
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Embraer Defense & Security President and CEO Jackson Schneider, partner in the construction project for some of the aircraft, stressed the importance of cooperation.

“Embraer will play a leading role in the execution of the Gripen program in Brazil and will be responsible for systems development, integration, flight tests, final assembly and aircraft delivery work. As part of the technology transfer, the Gripen Program will be a great opportunity to increase our knowledge in the development and manufacture of an advanced combat aircraft ”, he said.

For the Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant Brig. Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermúdez, the arrival of the first unit of the F-39E Gripen aircraft is an important milestone for the project.

“It is an immense satisfaction for the Brazilian Air Force to see this plane fly in national territory. The new FAB 39E / F Gripen will be the backbone of Fighter Aviation and has reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining sovereignty. of the country, defending the 22 million square kilometers under its responsibility, ”emphasizes Brigade Lieutenant Bermúdez, who signed the authorization for the first flight of the F-39E Gripen in Brazilian airspace.

The official presentation of the Gripen is scheduled to take place during the Brazilian Air Force and Aviator Day ceremony, held on October 23, and the first fighters will be delivered to the Brazilian Air Force starting in late 2021.

The fighter arrived in Brazil by boat on Sunday (20) through the port of Navegantes and was towed through the streets of the city in the early hours of Tuesday (22) to be taken to the airport, from where he took off for Gavião Peixoto.

The aircraft did not fly because it is in the testing phase and still needs to include more equipment, according to the manufacturer.

Since Tuesday, the fighter has been preparing for flight, subjected to technical checks that included engine activation tests and ground taxiing.

“We carried out some tests to make sure the plane is ready for flight. After arriving at Gavião Peixoto, we will schedule the tests to be done in Brazil and continue to fly,” said Saab chief pilot Marcus Wandt.

Technology transfer

The Gripen project aircraft were purchased under the government of former President Dilma Rousseff. The contract with the Swedish company, signed in 2014, provides for 36 aircraft for US $ 4.5 billion, in August last year the maiden flight was made in Sweden.

Technology transfer was one of the main reasons the government chose Gripen and not Boeing (from the US) OR Rafale (from the French Dassault).

Six Brazilian companies were chosen to work on the assembly of the new generation of Gripen and receive technological knowledge from the car manufacturer.

The projects include theoretical training, research, aeronautical systems development and practical training at the Saab plant in Sweden.

Since the start of the contract, there has been an exchange of Brazilian employees in Sweden. So far around 200 engineers, assemblers and pilots have been at Linkoping, and the training ranges from 3 months to two years, depending on the position.

The program also foresees that the last 15 aircraft will be produced and assembled on Brazilian soil.