The current parent company of Akaer Participações S.A., Connectus Gestão e Participações Ltda., announces the repurchase of Saab’s shares (42.21%) in Akaer Participações (Holding). The transaction was approved by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) without restrictions. Saab held these shares in Akaer, with whom it entered into a strategic partnership in the Brazilian Gripen Program. The other 57.79% already belonged to Connectus.
With a 31-year track record dedicated to the development of solutions in the areas of Defense, Aerospace, Energy and Industry 4.0, the companies of the Holding, Akaer Engenharia, Opto SD and Equatorial Sistemas, jointly known as the Akaer Group, or simply Akaer, have expanded their presence on the global stage, establishing businesses in more than 20 countries and expanding their workforce almost tenfold (from 75 employees in 2009 to more than 600 today).
The Brazilian Gripen, developed in partnership with Saab, has played an important role in this trajectory.
Since 2009, Akaer has actively participated in the program, which has renewed the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) aircraft fleet and initiated one of the largest technology transfer programs in the country’s history, benefiting the Defense Industrial Base.
Akaer was responsible for the aircraft’s structural engineering and design, systems installation and industrialization. As a result of this partnership, Akaer received technology transfer and developed capabilities to serve other markets. And from 2021, as its activities on the program naturally decreased, the company directed its efforts towards new projects and new business opportunities.
Cooperation and future participation in projects with Saab will remain of great importance to Akaer, providing future opportunities for exploring new business.
The share buyback is part of Akaer’s strategic growth plan which, driven by its rapid progress, has effectively advanced its consolidation in Brazil as an important Strategic Defence Company (SDE) and succeeded in its internationalization process through the search for new frontiers and markets.
The operation demonstrates the company’s confidence in its consistent expansion movement, governed by discipline in the allocation of investments and a commitment to excellence in its products and services.