Gripen E/F parts production begins in Brazil

Saab announced that parts production of its Gripen E/F multi-role fighter has started at its new sub-assembly facility in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, on July 7.

Saab Aeronáutica Montagens (SAM) is the company’s first aerostructures plant outside of Sweden for the Gripen E/F. It will produce sections of the multi-role fighter and deliver them to the platform’s final assembly lines at Saab’s plant in Linköping, Sweden, and Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, Brazil.

The facility will manufacture the front fuselage and tail cone of the single-seat Gripen E and the aerodynamic brakes, rear fuselage, wing box and front fuselage for the two-seat Gripen F.

Jonas Hjelm, head of Saab’s Aeronautics division, said: “This is another outcome of the transfer of technology (ToT) of the Gripen programme. Based on theoretical and practical on-the-job training of Brazilian engineers and assemblers at Saab in Linköping, we were able to establish a highly qualified production line at SAM, following the same standards that we have in our factory in Sweden.”

In October 2014, the Brazilian government signed a contract with Saab for the development and production of 28 Gripen Es and 8 Gripen Fs for operation by the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB. Brazilian Air Force). Brazil’s first Gripen E was delivered to the flight test programme last September.