The Saab F-39 Gripen made its first landing in Belém (PA) on Friday (15). The FAB 4100 registration fighter will be in the capital of Pará for the next few days, carrying out test flights in northern Brazil.
The arrival of the new Brazilian Air Force jet at Val-de-Cans International Airport was recorded by the photographer @giovanycruzspotter. The F-39 will also be one of the main attractions of the Belém Air Base (BABE) Open Gates event, to be held on 24/03.
View this photo on Instagram
View this photo on Instagram
Easily recognized by the characteristic stylized national flag on the tail, the F-39E landed in Belém carrying a pair of external fuel tanks under the wings and IRIS-T short-range missiles at the wingtips, probably in inert versions.
This is the first time that a Gripen from Brazil has been seen in this configuration. With the tanks, each holding around 1330 liters of fuel, the fighter flew directly from the Embraer plant in Gavião Peixoto (SP) to Pará, a distance of almost 2600 kilometers. For comparison, the fighter's combat radius is 1300 km, carrying six air-to-air missiles and an external tank.
The FAB 4100 is the first Brazilian Gripen, and since arriving in the country in September 2020 it has been in use with the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC), at Embraer's headquarters in Gavião Peixoto (SP). The GFTC is made up of employees from Saab and the Brazilian company and carries out tests, trials and evaluations to obtain various certifications for the F-39 and JAS-39 Gripen E. Recently, the same plane was seen on test flights using the new aerodynamic modifications to the wings.
Gripen in Brazil
O Saab JAS-39 Gripen And it was selected to be the Air Force's new fighter plane in December 2013, at a time when it was mostly called the Gripen NG. The Swedish delta-canard outperformed the French Dassault Rafale and the United States' Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. In 2014, the government signed an agreement to purchase 36 fighters – 28 single-seat versions and 8 two-seat versions – and transfer technology.
After the arrival of the FAB 4100 for testing in 2020, the first operational aircraft were delivered to Brazil in April 2022 and transferred to the 1st Air Defense Group, the Jaguar Squadron, at Anápolis Air Base. Known for having used Dassault Mirage fighters, the GDA has the mission of deploying the new plane.
So far, the FAB has already received eight planes, seven of which are operational, and is negotiating with Saab and Sweden to purchase more Gripens.
