At the beginning of June, Saab had a rollout of the first Gripen F fighter to the Brazilian Air Force during a ceremony held at Saab´s facilities in Sweden. Before final delivery to the Brazilian Air Force, the jet was transferred to Saab’s Flight Test Centre in Sweden, where it started a dedicated flight test campaign.
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As the launch customer, Brazil played an active role in the co development of the two-seat variant, enabling direct industrial participation and long-term cooperation. Through an extensive transfer-of-technology programme, Brazil has trained hundreds of engineers and technicians while strengthening the advanced design and development expertise within its national industrial base.
Gripen F is the two-seat variant of the Gripen E series and has been developed to meet the training and operational requirements of modern air forces by combining conversion training and combat capability on the same platform.
The addition of a fully independent second cockpit enables instructor-guided missions in a fully operational fighter, giving trainee pilots realistic live mission conditions. Consequently, pilot conversion and preparatory training can be dramatically accelerated compared to conventional time, while enhancing operational effectiveness in high-threat environments through shared workload and improved mission command.
The 2014 contract with the Brazilian government covers the development and production of 36 fighter aircraft: 28 Gripen E and 8 Gripen F. Deliveries began in 2020 and to date 11 aircraft have been handed over. Saab has also received Gripen F orders from Thailand and Colombia.
