The event took place in January with the class of pilots from the 1st Air Defense Group (1st GDA) who underwent training in Sweden in 2022.
January 18, 2024 dawned at Anápolis Air Base with sunshine, warmth and an operational yard full of aircraft, a perfect setting for another day of achievements in the history of the 1st GDA: the solo flight of four more Brazilian Air Force pilots in the F-39E Gripen.
Majors Ivan Campos Braga Júnior and Raphael Hassin Kersul, along with Captains Luca Centurione Scotto and Gabriel Souza Dixini, took off with their aircraft for an approximately hour-long mission in the instructional areas near Anápolis Air Base. On this first solo flight, the pilots explored the basic piloting characteristics of the fighter and carried out various exercises, such as reduced speed and instrument landing approaches.
“Today represents a milestone not only in the personal and professional lives of the four pilots who flew solo in the F-39E Gripen, but also symbolizes the efforts of an Air Force, an Air Base, a fighter unit and several professionals who worked day in and day out to make this happen. We are very happy for this moment of achievement and celebration,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Lincoln Santos Fórneas, commander of the 1st GDA.
Before going solar on the F-39E, these pilots underwent Conversion Training and Combat Readiness Training on the Gripen C/D, at the F7 Wing in Såtenäs, Sweden, in the first half of 2022.
Back in Brazil, the pilots began the process of operational conversion to the F-39E. In phase 1, which lasted eight weeks, the course consisted of theoretical lessons and simulator missions as a way of acquainting the pilot with the operation of the aircraft’s systems and emergency training.
“After the solo flight, we began phase 2 of the training. This phase lasts approximately six weeks. In addition to the simulator missions, students continue their operational progression in the Gripen system, carrying out instrument flights, night flights and graduation flights with two aircraft. At the end of this phase, they will be declared operational pilots on the F-39E,” explained the commander of the 1st GDA.
As well as being a milestone in the Gripen operational deployment process in the FAB, this class was the first to be formed in Brazil with the participation of Brazilian instructor pilots. These first Brazilian instructors underwent basic training on the Gripen E in 2022, at the Flight Test Center in Linköping – Sweden, including the Unit’s current Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Fórneas.
Currently, six pilots from the 1st GDA have gone through the conversion process and have been declared operational on the F-39E Gripen. The group has begun training pilots to take part in the multinational CRUZEX exercise at the end of 2024, at Natal Air Base.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***