Embraer and Saab inaugurate production line of Gripen E in Brazil

The production line of the Gripen E in Brazil has been inaugurated by Embraer and Saab at Embraer´s facility in Gavião Peixoto (São Paulo State), marking an important milestone in the technology transfer programme and the companies’ commitment to collaborating on new business opportunities. The event was attended by significant civil and military authorities, including the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Minister of Defense, José Mucio Monteiro Filho, and the Brazilian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno, among others.

This inauguration of the final assembly line, which is the only one for Gripen E outside of Sweden, is a significant contribution to the Gripen fighter ecosystem in Brazil. The Embraer plant in Gavịo Peixoto, with the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), the Gripen Flight Test Centre (GFTC), and now the assembly line, serves as the centre for the development, production, and testing stages of the aircraft. Embraer and Saab have been working together on the largest ongoing technology transfer project in Brazil since the signing of the contract to supply 36 fighters РGripen E (single-seater) and eight Gripen F (twin-seater) Рto the Brazilian Air Force in 2014. The production line has also become an opportunity for new business since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the companies.

At the Embraer production line, aerostructures from Saab plants in Linköping (Sweden) and São Bernardo do Campo (São Paulo State, Brazil) are joined together to produce the fighter aircraft. This process involves the installation of cabling, equipment of various systems, landing gear, avionics, tactical equipment, canopy, ejection seat, and engine. Functional tests and production flights are carried out once a Gripen is completed to prepare the aircraft for final delivery. The Embraer plant will produce 15 Gripen E fighters, with units assembled in Brazil being delivered from 2025.

To gain the necessary skills for the production of supersonic fighter jets in Brazil, Embraer technicians received theoretical and practical training, including on-the-job training, at Saab in Linköping. There they worked alongside Swedish employees to produce the aircraft that have already been shipped to Brazil.