The first Gripen E fighter built outside Sweden completed its maiden flight from Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto aerodrome in São Paulo state on 6 October. Designated FAB 4109, the aircraft was flown by Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg and has entered production acceptance testing ahead of certification and delivery to the Brazilian Air Force. It is the first of 15 Gripen fighters scheduled for production in Brazil.
The 10:21 local-time sortie assessed the aircraft’s basic systems and initial performance. It begins the final manufacturing phase at Embraer, with further production flight tests and acceptance work required before the fighter can be certified and handed over to the Brazilian Air Force.
Embraer formally presented FAB 4109 on 25 March. Its Gavião Peixoto facility is the only Gripen production line outside Sweden and the first Brazilian site to produce and flight-test the supersonic fighter. After acceptance, the aircraft is expected to join Brazil’s Gripen fleet at Anápolis Air Base.
The local production effort forms part of Saab and Embraer’s industrial partnership and Brazil’s technology-transfer programme. Brazil’s wider order covers 36 aircraft under a 2014 agreement with Sweden: 28 single-seat Gripen E fighters and eight two-seat Gripen F aircraft.