Saab is a growing household name across South American armed forces, given high-profile contracts with the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira: FAB) and Colombia’s shipbuilding corporation COTECMAR. However, the Swedish company is ambitious and wants to expand its regional footprint. Zona Militar had an exclusive conversation with Saab about its current and future projects towards Latin America.
One ongoing program is Brazil, which has purchased a fleet of 36 Saab JAS 39 Gripen E multirole fighter aircraft. This year, Saab and Brasilia are celebrating ten years of their partnership. “The rollout of the first Brazilian-made aircraft, assembled by Embraer in Gavião Peixoto, is scheduled for the end of 2025,” the company told ZM, adding, “in total, 15 of the 36 aircraft ordered by the Brazilian Air Force will be produced in Brazil.”
As ZM readers know, the Gripen already flies across Brazilian skies, as the first aircraft was incorporated into the Brazilian Air Force in December 2022. The warplane debuted in the multinational exercise CRUZEX in November 2024.
Saab stressed that the Saab-FAB partnership works because the Swedish company is not solely delivering warplanes, but also heavily investing in training and knowledge transfer. For example, “to support pilot training, two advanced Gripen E Mission Trainers were installed at Anápolis Air Force Base (BAAN) at the end of 2022.” These simulators “feature interconnected cockpits, enabling pilots to train in formation with precision,” the company told ZM.
Additionally, Saab and Brazil have achieved another milestone, manufacturing Gripens outside of Sweden. To accomplish this objective, the two partners have created a “Gripen ecosystem centered at Embraer in Gavião Peixoto, which houses the Gripen Design and Development Network, the Gripen Test Flight Centre, and the only Gripen E production line outside of Sweden.” Brazil’s defense industry is already known for domestically manufacturing submarines (as part of the PROSUB project), in addition to the Super Tucano light attack aircraft and the C-390 Millennium transport aircraft, produced by the aerospace giant Embraer. Now the country will produce state-of-the-art combat aircraft.
Colombia is another growing partner. The Colombian shipbuilding corporation COTECMAR will manufacture frigates for the Colombian Navy as part of the Strategic Surface Platform (Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie: PES) program. The Dutch shipyard Damen Shipyards Group has been selected as COTECMAR’s partner.
Moreover, Saab signed a contract with Damen in February 2025 to supply the combat system for the frigates. “The order includes the 9LV Combat Management System and 9LV Fire Control System, the Ceros 200 fire control and radar and optronic tracking director, the EOS 500 electro-optical fire control director, the Sea Giraffe 4A radars, as well as other Saab systems,” the Swedish company told ZM. (In early May, Damen and the Portuguese defense technology company EID signed a contract to deliver the Integrated Communications Control System for the program.)
Based on Damen’s SIGMA 10514 multi-mission ship, the first PES frigate is expected to be delivered by 2030.
ZM also asked Saab about two other major Gripen-related contracts for the Colombian and Peruvian Air Forces. The company declined to comment about the agreement with Bogota, referring ZM to a company statement from April about President Gustavo Petro’s decision to acquire the Gripen E/F warplanes.
As for Peru’s air force (Fuerza Aérea del Peru: FAP), the service hopes to sign a contract this year for 24 warplanes to replace their old fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000s and Sukhoi-25s. So far, the suspected potential suppliers and platforms are the Lockheed Martin F-16, Korea Aerospace Industries KF-21, Dassault Rafale, and Saab Gripen E/F.
Anecdotally, SITDEF defense expo at the Peruvian Army’s headquarters this past April, Saab showcased a Gripen E warplane. The Swedish government has also reportedly requested Parliament to approve the sale of 12 E/Fs to Peru.
Saab declined to discuss with ZM the status of the negotiations. However the company explained that their combat aircraft is an ideal fit for FAP’s requirements. “Gripen has a unique capability for deployed operations. It can land and take off on short, unprepared runways of 500-800 meters, allowing it to operate across the entire national territory,” the company told ZM. Saab added it is willing to provide a comprehensive package to FAP, including “full training programs for specialized personnel and creation of jobs among other aspects,” and supporting the country’s industries.
It is worth noting that the Argentine armed forces are not strangers to Saab either. As ZM has reported, the country’s air force already flies Saab 340 aircraft, while the three services use the short-range air defence systems RBS 70 NG. An order for the newest version was received in 2022.
Looking to the future, Saab explained that “our focus in Latin America extends beyond any single program.” The company noted that “Brazil is becoming a central hub for Saab in the region, especially in the aerospace sector. This hub model allows us to support other countries.” The program with Brazil for combat aircraft, an agreement with Colombia also for the Gripens, and a program with COTECMAR and Damen already underway are just three major contracts that Saab has obtained within the past decade.
“We are very pleased with the recent selection of the Gripen by Colombia, which confirms the growing interest in advanced and reliable defense solutions across Latin America,” concluded Saab. Given the variety of Saab’s catalog and successful projects with regional armed forces, procuring a new customer and partner in Latin America is just a matter of time.
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