The aircraft flew from the airport in Navegantes to Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto. The official presentation of the aircraft is scheduled to take place on the 23rd October.
“Gripen's arrival in Brazil and its first flight are major milestones in the Brazilian Gripen programme. We are proud of this journey alongside so many qualified and committed professionals from both countries,” said Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab. “We are following the delivery schedule for the aircraft and we continue to maintain our long-term commitment to Brazil.”
The president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, Jackson Schneider, commented: “Embraer will play a leading role in the execution of the Gripen programme in Brazil and will be responsible for systems development, integration, flight testing, final assembly, and delivery of the aircraft in support of Brazilian Air Force operations. In terms of technology transfer, the Gripen programme is a great opportunity to increase our knowledge in the development and manufacturing of advanced combat aircraft.”
The flight test programme will be expanded to include the Gripen Flight Test Center at Embraer in Gavião Peixoto, which will be fully integrated with the test programme already running at full phase at Saab in Linköping since 2017. Activities in Brazil will include testing of flight control system, environmental control system as well as tests in the aircraft in tropical climate conditions. In addition to the testing that is common for the Gripen E Programme, unique features of the Brazilian aircraft, such as weapons integration as well as the Link BR2 communication system - which provides encrypted data and voice communication between the aircraft - will be tested in Brazil.
The production aircraft will be delivered to the Brazilian Air Force by the end of 2021.
