The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) held an official ceremony on 19 December 2022 at the Anápolis Air Base (BAAN) marking the beginning of operational activities of the Gripen E fighters.
Saab has announced that its Gripen E fighter jet has officially been inducted into service by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to boost the defence prowess of the country. The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) held an official ceremony on 19 December 2022 at the Anápolis Air Base (BAAN) marking the beginning of operational activities of the Gripen E fighters (which is referred to as Gripen F-39 in Brazil) by the First Air Defense Group (1st GDA).
The important customer milestone follows the flight test phase in Brazil that started in September 2020 with the arrival of the test aircraft in the country. The flight tests were conducted at the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC) located at the Embraer plant in Gavião Peixoto.
“The start of operational activities with Gripen E by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is an extremely important day. It marks the beginning of a new operational era for FAB but also is the result of years of hard work done in partnership with the Air Force and with our Brazilian industry partners: Embraer, AEL Sistemas, Akaer, Atech, and our own subsidiaries in Brazil. Brazil now has one of the most advanced fighters in the world. This is currently the most extensive ongoing technology transfer programme in Brazil and it is definitely the largest one ever done by any Swedish company, bringing to the Brazilian defence industry the knowledge to develop, produce, test and maintain an advanced supersonic fighter. We are very proud to be a strategic partner to Brazil, said Micael Johansson, President and CEO, Saab.
At the official event held by the Brazilian Air Force two Gripen fighter jets made a presentation flight led by FAB pilots Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Pascotto, Commander of the 1st GDA, and Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Lincoln Santos Fórneas. The Brazilian pilots carried out their training with Gripen E in Sweden. They also practiced for the flight on the mission trainers, which are installed at the Anápolis Air Base.
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In November 2022, Saab achieved the certification necessary for the military use of Gripen E. The certification attests that the aircraft has met certain airworthiness and flight safety requirements which are an important step before operational activities with the FAB. This was granted by both the Swedish and Brazilian military authorities, represented by the Swedish Military Aviation Safety Inspectorate (FLYGI) and the Industrial Fostering and Coordination Institute (IFI) in Brazil. The joint certification reflects the synergy obtained through the technical cooperation between the two authorities in each country.
