Brazil has unveiled its first domestically produced Gripen E combat aircraft at a formal event held at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility in São Paulo.
Production within Brazil has been carried out at Embraer’s facility—launched in 2023 as the first Gripen E production line established outside Sweden—and at Saab’s unit in São Bernardo do Campo.
The newly built aircraft will undergo system validation and flight testing prior to its delivery to the Brazilian Air Force. A further 14 jets are expected to be produced domestically following the same model.
Gripen Acquisition Program
This milestone is part of a 2014 agreement in which Brazil procured 36 Gripen fighters from Saab, consisting of 28 single-seat Gripen E aircraft and eight dual-seat Gripen F variants.
The contract includes a long-term technology transfer initiative exceeding 10 years, enabling Brazil to assemble 15 aircraft locally, while the remaining units are manufactured in Sweden.
Deliveries began in 2020, with 10 Swedish-built Gripen E aircraft already handed over to the Brazilian Air Force.
Designated as the F-39E in Brazilian service, the jets are currently deployed on Quick Reaction Alert duties from Anápolis Air Force Base.
