Saab and Embraer have completed the first flight of the first Gripen E assembled in Brazil, with aircraft FAB 4109 departing Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto site in São Paulo state. The sortie, flown by Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg, is the opening production acceptance test before delivery to the Brazilian Air Force.
The aircraft is the first Gripen built outside Sweden and the first of 15 units scheduled for local production under the current programme. The flight focused on basic systems and initial performance, while Embraer handled flight preparation and execution with Saab support.
The jet was presented in March after final assembly in Gavião Peixoto, where Saab’s only Gripen production line outside Sweden is located. Production in Brazil began in 2023 as part of Saab’s technology-transfer partnership with Embraer, which is intended to expand domestic manufacturing and integration capability for advanced combat aircraft.
Further acceptance flights will follow before the aircraft is certified for handover to the Brazilian Air Force. The exact delivery timing has not been disclosed.