Saab and Embraer have officially opened a Gripen E production line at Embraer´s plant in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil. The site currently is the only final assembly line for the Saab Gripen E single-engine fighter outside of Sweden. Saab and Embraer have been collaborating on what the companies are calling “the largest ongoing technology transfer project in the country” since the 2014 signing of a contract to supply 36 Gripens to the Brazilian air force.
“The start of operations of the Gripen production line marks our commitment to transfer technology and knowledge to Brazilian industry,” said Saab President and CEO Micael Johansson. “Here, we will produce 15 of the 36 aircraft currently contracted to the Brazilian Air Force. The aim is also to produce here any future Gripen orders from Brazil as well as other countries. We want Brazil to become an export hub to Latin America and potentially other regions.”
Embraer’s new production line will receive aerostructures produced at the Saab’s sites in Linköping, Sweden, and São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. According to the companies, Embraer technicians received theoretical and practical training from Saab in Linköping to “acquire the necessary skills for the production of supersonic fighter jets.” The first Gripen E assembled in Brazil is expected to be delivered in 2025.
