About a year after the production line opened of the Saab Gripen In Brazil, the first locally produced F-39 fighter moves towards final assembly. The jet will be delivered to Brazilian Air Force (FAB) in 2025.
According to the contract signed between the governments of Brazil and Sweden, of the 36 jets purchased, 15 will be manufactured in national territory. To this end, Embraer and the Swedish company inaugurated, in May last year, a production line at the Brazilian manufacturer's facilities in Gavião Peixoto (SP).
This Thursday (06), Saab announced that the first of 15 F-39E “has completed the initial production phase and is now entering final assembly.” The same agreement provided for the two-seat Gripen F to also be assembled in Brazil. The FAB, however, changed its mind last year and only single-seat fighters will be made by Embraer.
“This is a significant achievement for both Saab and Embraer, as the first Gripen fighter produced in Brazil reaches the final assembly phase”, said Hans Sjöblom, general manager of Saab in Gavião Peixoto. “As part of an extensive technology transfer program, this is the first Gripen production line established outside of Sweden and we are truly impressed by the excellence demonstrated by Embraer employees.”
The process began with structural assembly, where the front fuselage, the armament unit, the central fuselage of the wings and the rear fuselage are ed together. In this same phase the fuel tanks are sealed, pressure tests are conducted both in the cockpit and in the tanks and geometric measurements are made. At the end of this process, cleaning, internal painting and application of an anti-corrosion varnish are carried out in an external painting booth.
“Embraer professionals working on the Gripen line have undergone extensive training at the Saab factory in Linköping to ensure they are well-prepared for their roles”, commented Walter Pinto Junior, COO of Embraer Defense & Security. “The knowledge acquired in Sweden has not only enriched our team, but also brought valuable lessons and advanced technologies to Embraer, contributing to our continued growth and innovation.”
Back in the Gripen hangar, the aircraft enters the final assembly phase, which consists of three stations. In the first, the fuselage receives approximately 35 kilometers of cable and 300 meters of pipes. In the second, the avionics, the auxiliary starting unit (APU), the engine, the radio, the vertical stabilizer, among other components, are installed. At the last station the aircraft software is installed, functional tests are performed and the aircraft returns to the paint booth to receive operational camouflage.
Once this process is complete, the flight preparation phase begins, where the final calibration of various systems, such as navigation, fuel and flight control, is carried out. The engine is also fired for the first time, functional tests are completed and production flight trials are conducted to ensure the aircraft performs according to the verified and certified design.
With Saab do Brasil
