Saab launches Gripen F fighter jet developed with Brazilians

Swedish manufacturer Saab has unveiled the Gripen F, a two-seater variant of its new fighter jet, developed over five years in close cooperation with Brazilian aerospace giant Embraer and other local firms like AEL and Akaer, as well as the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

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This could have been an obstacle, but it was our greatest achievement. We worked with 50% Swedish engineers and 50% from Embraer and others.

"This could have been an obstacle, but it was our greatest achievement. We worked with 50% Swedish engineers and 50% from Embraer and others," stated Mikael Franzén, Saab's head of sales, highlighting the collaborative spirit. Micael Johansson, the president of Saab, emphasized that the aircraft's capabilities would not exist without these partners, calling it a "great collaboration" and revealing plans for a second Saab research center in Brazil.

The Gripen F was revealed at Saab's facility in Linköping, Sweden, with Brazil's Defense Minister José Mucio and his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson in attendance. Mucio described the relationship as "win-win," transcending a typical client-supplier dynamic. Over 350 Brazilian engineers and technicians, mostly from Embraer, received training through this technology transfer process.

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We are revealing a new capability. This machine would not exist without our partners. It is a great collaboration.

While Embraer is the sole production site for the single-seat Gripen E outside Scandinavia, the two-seat Gripen F's assembly will be concentrated in Sweden due to logistical and cost considerations, despite initial plans for production in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo. The Gripen F was a Brazilian request; Sweden itself only ordered the 'E' model. Adapting the fighter to accommodate a second pilot involved significant modifications, including stretching the fuselage by 66 cm to 15.9 meters, adding weight with duplicated ejection seats, instruments, and oxygen systems. To compensate, the Gripen F omits the 27 mm cannon and has reduced fuel capacity, estimated to decrease its combat radius by about 10%.

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It is a win-win relationship.

Johan Segertoft, head of Saab's Gripen unit, noted that while structural aspects were well-understood, the primary challenge was ensuring the second cockpit was fully independent for operations. Johansson reiterated the unique nature of the collaboration with Brazil, contrasting it with more protracted European defense projects. Brazil has purchased 8 of the 36 Gripen E/F aircraft ordered in 2014, with 11 Gripen E models already operational in the country.

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It is a collaboration that goes beyond the relationship between client and supplier.