Brazil’s first Gripen F reaches final assembly line as delivery edges closer
Brazil sealed its Gripen F deal at almost half the cost of either Dassault’s or Boeing’s offering. (Photo: Isac Nóbrega/PR)
A concrete delivery timeline for the first Saab JAS 39F Gripen two-seater for Brazil has yet to be confirmed, but with the fighter now in the final assembly stage and undergoing testing, delivery could come soon.
The first JAS 39F Gripen two-seater fighter jet for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has reached the final stage of the assembly line at Saab’s Linkoping facility in southern Sweden.
Providing a media tour on 20 May at the facility where Saab assembles the more than 17,000 parts of the Gripen fighter, Matti Olsson, head of production at Saab aeronautics, said that the first F model for the FAB was undergoing air worthiness testing which usually takes between three-to-five days.
Before rolling to the next stage, fighters were nearly ready, with the engine and radars being fitted. The engine, a General Electric
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Air Warfare
-
![How the UK’s New Medium Helicopter award strengthens AW149’s European prospects]()
How the UK’s New Medium Helicopter award strengthens AW149’s European prospects
The UK advanced its long-delayed New Medium Helicopter programme in March with a £1 billion order for 23 Leonardo AW149s. While the deal could provide a foundation for further UK and European export orders, funding pressures and previous delays continue to cloud the programme’s future.
-
![UK air focus: Drone spending trails European frontline states despite $10.46 billion valuation]()
UK air focus: Drone spending trails European frontline states despite $10.46 billion valuation
Despite the UK having the third-largest military UAV market in Europe, the country appears to be underinvesting in the capability relative to the size of its economy, particularly when compared with Baltic and eastern European states.
-
![Proteus: Forging the future of autonomous rotorcraft]()
Proteus: Forging the future of autonomous rotorcraft
As the home of British helicopters, Leonardo has worked with the UK Ministry of Defence for over a decade to advance technologies underpinning uncrewed rotorcraft. Today, in partnership with UK Defence Innovation and the Royal Navy, Leonardo is spearheading the next step in that journey: from remotely piloted technologies to fully autonomous systems.
-
![“Fifth-gen capability without the cost”: how autonomous strike can change the face of air warfare]()
“Fifth-gen capability without the cost”: how autonomous strike can change the face of air warfare
In Conversation… Armor Harris, Senior Vice President for Aircraft at Shield AI, talks to Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan about why cost-effective autonomous aircraft are a game-changer for air forces worldwide, and the key roles played by VTOL and AI as enabling technologies.
