Saab opened the first Gripen E production line
outside of Sweden on Tuesday.
The final assembly line is located in Brazil
at Embraer’s plant in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo which is also
home to the
Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), Gripen Flight Test
Center (GFTC), as well as the
development, production and testing stages of the aircraft.
Since the signing of a contract to supply 36
fighter jets – Gripen E (single seat) and eight Gripen F (twin-seat) – to the Brazilian Air Force in 2014, Embraer and Saab
have been working together on the largest ongoing technology
transfer project in the country.
With the recent signing of
a MOU between the companies, the production
line has also become an opportunity for new business.
“The start of production of the F-39 Gripen
aircraft in Brazil symbolizes the achievement of an ambitious
project that translates itself into technology transfer, job
creation and the consequent development of Brazil’s aerospace
sector,” said the Brazilian Air Force Commander,
Lieutenant-Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno. “Thanks to a solid
partnership between the Air Force, Saab and Embraer, we are now
part of the select group of countries that have the capability to
build supersonic aircraft. Congratulations to all involved!”
The production line at Embraer receives the
aerostructures produced at Saab plants in Linköping (Sweden)
and São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil.
On the
assembly line the fighter aircraft will be produced by joining
the aerostructures and installing the cabling, various systems, landing gear, avionics, tactical equipment,
canopy, ejection seat and engine.
Once a Gripen is complete,
functional tests and production flights are carried out to prepare
the aircraft for final delivery.
The Embraer plant will be
responsible for producing 15 Gripen E fighters with units assembled in
Brazil scheduled for delivery from 2025.
“The start of operations of the Gripen production
line marks our commitment to transfer technology and knowledge to
Brazilian industry. Here, we will produce 15 of the 36 aircraft
currently contracted to the Brazilian Air Force. The aim is also
to produce here any future Gripen orders from Brazil as well as
other countries. We want Brazil to become an export hub to Latin
America and potentially other regions,” said Micael Johansson,
President and CEO of Saab.
To acquire the necessary skills for the production
of supersonic fighter jets in Brazil, Embraer technicians carried
out theoretical and practical on-the-job training at
Saab in Linköping. There they worked side by side with Swedish
employees to produce the aircraft that have already been shipped
to Brazil.
“We celebrate not only the inauguration of
the Gripen fighter production line, but the success of the
collaboration between Saab and Embraer, which grows stronger every
day with the common goal of serving our client, the Brazilian Air
Force,” said Bosco da
Costa Junior, President and CEO, Embraer Defense & Security. “Since the beginning, Embraer has played a relevant role in
the Gripen program, participating, for instance, in the
development of the Brazilian version of the twin-seat aircraft. As
a natural evolution of this relationship, we hope that soon we can
together expand our business into new markets.”
