Units arrived at the port of Navegantes (SC), this Sunday (25), and, after going through specific procedures, went to Gavião Peixoto (SP)
CECOMSAER/Air Force Agency – by Lieutenant Kelly and Lieutenant Colonel Pinheiro
The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) took another step toward the goal of expanding its capacity to defend and ensure the sovereignty of the country’s airspace and its borders. On September 25, two more F-39 Gripen aircraft landed in Brazil. They join two other series-production fighter jets already received in April.
The FAB 4103 and FAB 4104 arrived in the port of Navegantes (SC) on a ship from Sweden. During the early morning of September 26, they were taken to the city’s airport, in an operation that involved dozens of FAB personnel, as well as the Santa Catarina Military Police (PMSC), the Navegantes Municipal Guard and the Santa Catarina Fire Department (CBMSC). The mission also included the participation of the Civil Police of Santa Catarina (PCSC), Navegantes City Hall, the Municipal Foundation of Surveillance and Traffic (NAVETRAN), and the Federal Revenue Service.
Once the displacement was complete, the aircraft went through a series of procedures necessary for them to take off towards the Gripen Flight and Test Centre (GFTC), at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto (SP) plant. The work included installation of the ejection seat and survival kit, fueling and preparation for ground start.
At Gavião Peixoto, test pilots from FAB, Embraer and Saab carry out flight tests until the aircraft are ready to receive the military certificate. The document is a kind of initial operating license. After this phase, the fighters will be transferred to the Anápolis Air Base, where they will undergo the final stages of delivery and start of operations by the First Air Defense Group (1st GDA).
According to the operation coordinator, Air Force Colonel Leandro Barbosa Ferreira Pinto, it is a source of pride to be able to accompany the arrival of two more Gripen aircraft on Brazilian soil. “The aircraft represents a technological milestone for the increase in the operational capacity of the Brazilian Air Force and for the development of the national defense industry,” he emphasized.
F-39 Gripen
Gripen is recognized for its efficiency, low operating costs, high availability and advanced technological capacity. The fighter jet is used by different Air Forces around the world as a vector responsible for the sovereignty and protection of these nations.
In Brazil, the entry into service means an important qualitative and technological leap, with some of the on-board resources being unprecedented for the FAB. The Brazilian Air Force is a pioneer in the operation of the two-seat version, the Gripen F, developed jointly by Brazil and Sweden.
Photos: Lieutenant Kelly / CECOMSAER *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***