The Brazilian Air Force’s F-39E Gripen Program is preparing to showcase and celebrate one of its most important milestones with the upcoming official unveiling of the first fighter aircraft manufactured locally in Brazil. This was indicated in a brief post on the Institution’s social media, setting March 25 as the date for the presentation of the first combat aircraft produced on Brazilian soil by Embraer and Saab.
Although further details were not provided, the Brazilian Air Force is currently in the process of incorporating this new weapons system, with plans to acquire 36 new Gripen E fighters, some of which will be produced locally.
To this end, in recent years Saab and Embraer, together with a significant number of local companies, have advanced the industrial capabilities required for the production of components and the assembly of aircraft in order to achieve this new milestone for the South American giant’s aerospace industry.
In this regard, it is worth recalling May 2023, when the opening of the production and assembly line located at Embraer’s facility in the city of Gavião Peixoto was celebrated.
With its inauguration, this line became the only Gripen fighter production and assembly line outside Sweden, integrating aircraft components manufactured in Linköping along with those produced locally in Brazil, such as the forward fuselage section, tail cone, and air brakes manufactured in São Bernardo do Campo.
Photographs used for illustrative purposes.
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