By Roberto Caiafa
Saab and Embraer inaugurated the final assembly line of the Gripen E fighter in Brazil at the Gavião Peixoto factory, where 15 Gripen E fighters will be produced and whose assembled units will be delivered as of 2025.
Infodefensa was present at the event, held on Tuesday, May 9.
The inauguration of this facility is an important milestone in the technology transfer program and in the companies’ commitment to work together on new business opportunities.
High-ranking civilian and military authorities and representatives of various sectors of Brazilian society attended the event.
The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, participated in the ceremony with the Secretary of State for Defense, José Mucio Monteiro Filho, and the Commander of the Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno, among other important guests.
The inauguration of the final assembly line, which is the only one for the Gripen E outside Sweden, marks one of Brazil’s most significant contributions to the fighter aircraft ecosystem.
With the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC), and now the assembly line, Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto factory hosts all stages of development, production, and testing of the aircraft.
Since signing the contract to supply 36 fighters, 28 Gripen E (single-seat version) and 8 Gripen F (two-seat version), to the Brazilian Air Force in 2014, Saab and Embraer have been working together on the largest ongoing technology transfer project in the country.
Recently, with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the companies, the production line has also become an opportunity for new business.
Saab’s president and CEO, Micael Johansson, stated that “the start of operations of the Gripen production line marks our commitment to transferring technology and know-how to Brazilian industry. Here we will produce 15 of the 36 aircraft currently contracted by the Brazilian Air Force.
“The goal is also to produce here any future Gripen orders for Brazil, as well as for other countries. We want Brazil to become an export hub for Latin America and, potentially, for other regions.”
For his part, the president and CEO of Embraer Defense and Security, Bosco da Costa Junior, stated:
“Today, we celebrate not only the inauguration of the Gripen fighter production line but also the success of the partnership between Saab and Embraer, which is growing stronger daily with the common goal of serving our customer, the Brazilian Air Force.”
“From the beginning, Embraer has played a relevant role in the Gripen program, for example, in developing the Brazilian version of the two-seater aircraft.”
“As a natural evolution of this relationship, we hope we will soon be able to expand our business to new markets”.
The Air Force Commander, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno, also took the floor, stating:
“The start of production of the Gripen F-39 aircraft in Brazil symbolizes the realization of an ambitious project that translates into technology transfer, job creation, and the consequent development of the Brazilian aerospace sector.”
“Thanks to a strong partnership between the Air Force, Saab, and Embraer, we are now part of the select group of countries that can build supersonic aircraft. Congratulations to all involved.”
Embraer’s production line receives the fuselages of fighters produced at the Linköping plant in Sweden and in São Bernardo do Campo (SP).
The fighter aircraft will be produced at the assembly line by joining these aerostructures, installing wiring harnesses, and equipping various systems, landing gear, avionics, tactical equipment, canopy, ejection seat, and engine.
Once the fighter aircraft is assembled, functional and production flight tests are performed to prepare the aircraft for final delivery.
To acquire the necessary skills to produce supersonic fighters in Brazil, Embraer technicians undertook theoretical and practical training (called on-the-job training) at Saab’s headquarters in Linköping.
There they worked with Swedish employees to produce the aircraft already shipped to Brazil.
With information from Infodefensa