Saab and Embraer today (09) inaugurated the Gripen E production line in Brazil at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto (SP) site. This is an important milestone in the technology transfer program and in the companies’ commitment to work together on new business opportunities.
The event was attended by high-level civil and military authorities, as well as representatives from various sectors of Brazilian society. The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attended the ceremony along with the Minister of 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 Gripen E outside Sweden, marks the delivery of one of the most significant contributions to the fighter jet ecosystem in Brazil. With the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC) and now the assembly line, Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto factory houses the development, production and test stages of the aircraft.
Since signing the contract for the supply of 36 fighters, 28 Gripen E (single-seater version) and 8 Gripen F (two-seater version), to the Brazilian Air Force in 2014, Saab and Embraer have worked together in the largest technology transfer project underway 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.
“The start of operations of the Gripen production line marks our commitment to transfer technology and knowledge to the Brazilian industry. Here we will produce 15 of the 36 aircraft currently under contract to the Brazilian Air Force. The aim is also to produce here any future Gripen orders for Brazil as well as other countries. We want Brazil to become an export center for Latin America and potentially other regions,” said Micael Johansson, Saab’s president and CEO.
“Today we celebrate not only the inauguration of the Gripen fighter production line, but the success of the collaboration between Saab and Embraer, which grows stronger every day with the common goal of serving our customer, the Brazilian Air Force. Since the beginning, Embraer has played a relevant role in the Gripen program, participating for example in the development of the Brazilian version of the two-seater aircraft. As a natural evolution of this relationship, we hope that together we will soon be able to expand our business into new markets,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.
“The start of production of the F-39 Gripen aircraft in Brazil symbolizes the materialization of an ambitious project that translates into technology transfer, job creation and the consequent development of Brazil’s aerospace sector. Thanks to a solid partnership between the Air Force, Saab and Embraer, we are now part of the select group of countries that have the capability to build supersonic aircraft. Congratulations to all involved!” said Air Force Commander, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno.
The production line at Embraer receives the fighter airframes produced at the Linköping plant, in Sweden, and at São Bernardo do Campo (SP). On the assembly line the fighter jet will be produced by assembling these airframes, installing cabling, equipping various systems, landing gear, avionics, tactical equipment, canopy, ejection seat and engine. After fighter assembly is completed, functional and production flight tests are conducted to prepare the aircraft for final delivery. Embraer’s factory will be responsible for the production of 15 Gripen E fighters. The units assembled in Brazil will be delivered starting in 2025.
To acquire the necessary skills for the production of supersonic fighters in Brazil, Embraer technicians carried out theoretical and practical training – so-called on-the-job training – at Saab in Linköping. There they worked side-by-side with Swedish employees to produce the aircraft that have already been shipped to Brazil.
