Swedish Gripen fighters join the FAB squadron

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) incorporated this Monday (19th), in a ceremony at the Anápolis Air Base (GO), 50 km from Goiânia, the first F-39 Gripen fighters. During the ceremony, two F-39 Gripen fighters performed a demonstration flight, being piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Pascotto, commander of the First Air Defense Group (1st GDA), and Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Lincoln Santos Fórneas. In the 1970s, the 1st GDA, began its activities with the Mirage III, of French manufacture, already retired. The incorporation takes place eight years after the signing of the contract with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The main mission for the Brazilian fighters will be aerial interceptors. According to the FAB, the other capabilities, such as ground attack, electronic warfare, among others, will be added in phases. This is the first wave of a total of 36 aircraft that are 4.5 meters high, 14 meters long and can reach 2,400 km/h. Sweden’s export contract, worth approximately R$ 20 billion, was the largest with Sweden and also provides for the transfer of technology to Brazil. The FAB sent several military personnel, including pilots, technicians and engineers, to Sweden, where the instruction phase in various aspects of the fighter began, ranging from piloting to project and production knowledge. Before they went into operation, there were also a series of tests and validations carried out by the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC), in Gavião Peixoto, in the interior of São Paulo. “The beginning of Gripen’s operational activities by the Brazilian Air Force is an extremely important day, not only because it marks the beginning of a new operational era for the FAB, but also because it is the result of years of hard work together with the Air Force. and with our Brazilian industrial partners Embraer, AEL Sistemas, Akaer, Atech and our own subsidiaries in Brazil,” said Micael Johansson, the president and CEO of the Swedish fighter manufacturer, Saab. The military certificate, which allows starting the first stages of operational flight, was received by Saab in November. The document attests that the Gripen E complied with all airworthiness and flight safety requirements established by the Swedish and Brazilian military authorities. “Brazil now has one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world. Furthermore, the Gripen Program brings with it the most extensive technology transfer program underway in Brazil and is definitely the largest ever undertaken by any Swedish company. the Brazilian defense industry the knowledge to develop, produce, test and maintain an advanced supersonic fighter”, added Johansson.

Agência Brasil