This week marks the 75th anniversary of the FAB's grandiose action in the skies of Italy during World War II.
On April 22, 1945, FAB pilots made 44 sorties in 11 missions in a single day. The brave pilots of the FAB in the heavy P-47 Thunderbolt made history in World War II, and are recognized internationally until today.
After the 2nd World War, the world observed the advancement of aviation, the speed became even more evident with the jets. Air Forces around the world wanted to buy jet aircraft to equip their air forces and have a new military level. The same happened with Brazil, when the federal government bought the Gloster Meteor in the 50s.
Gloster Meteor
Brazil closed an agreement with the British for the purchase of 60 units of the Meteor. The jet reached 900km/h. In the FAB, the British jet operated from 1953 to 1974, thus marking a new era in the FAB.
Lockheed F-80
In the same period in which the FAB used the Gloster Meteor, another aircraft with compatible capabilities was purchased by the FAB, this time the North American F-80.
In all, 58 units of the fighter were purchased, which could reach up to 970km/h. In the FAB it was also used under another name, T-33, the difference being that it was two-seater.
Cessna T-37
In the 60s, the FAB was already thinking about acquiring two-seat aircraft to be used as advanced trainers, and in 1967 our air force acquired the Cessna A-37, a trainer jet.
However, the T-36C version could carry bombs and be used in air-to-ground attack. The jet operated in the FAB until 1981, with 65 units purchased.
AT-26 Xavante:
In 1971, a new phase of hunting training began in Brazil. The AT-26 Xavante is an Italian project, but it was manufactured under license in our country. A total of 182 units were manufactured by Embraer.
In the FAB, it served mainly as a training aircraft for fighter pilots, in the then ALA 10, in the Joker Squadron, in Natal-RN. Today, training and specialization are carried out on the Embraer 314, the A-29 Super Tucano.
The Supersonic Era of the FAB
After this brief introduction of the first FAB jet aircraft, let's talk about the Supersonic and Golden Era of the Brazilian Air Force.
Dassault Mirage III
The beginning of high-performance fighter aviation in Brazil began in October 1972 with the arrival of the first Brazilian supersonic aircraft, the Dassault Mirage III.
The aircraft was capable of flying at Mach 2, i.e. 2 times the speed of sound. As soon as the new vectors of Brazilian air defense arrived, they had a noble mission, which was the protection of the airspace from the central plateau to the federal capital Brasilia.
For this, a base was built to house the newly acquired Mirage III, the base location was the city of Anápolis-GO, about 170 km from Brasilia. For 33 years delta operated in Brazil, until its retirement in 2005.
F-5EM/FM Tiger II
In the same year, the FAB acquired another supersonic fighter, the North American Northrop F-5, but this one did not fly at the speed that the French delta flew, its greatest quality was the ease of performing maneuvers in flight.
The North American fighter was bought second-hand, some from the US and some from Jordan.
With more than 30 years of operation in Brazil, they needed modernization, since the new and modern FAB fighter had not yet been chosen. So Embraer modernized the entire FAB F-5 fleet, overhauling all the aircraft's avionics and equipping the cockpit to a more current standard.
Currently, 4 bases in Brazil and 4 squadrons operate the F-5EM/FM (Designation made after the modernization of the aircraft by Embraer). They are the 1st GDA in Anápolis (GO), the 1st/14th GAv based in Canoas (RS), the 1st/1st GAv based in Santa Cruz (RJ) and the 1st/4th based in Manaus (AM).
A-1 AMX
Another jet aircraft that is part of the history of our fighter aviation is the AMX, an Italian-made jet, but construction in partnership with Embraer was authorized here in Brazil.
The AMX or A-1 as it was designated by the FAB, is an aircraft aimed at ground attack missions, it is a high-wing, agile, but subsonic aircraft. Currently, the A-1 AMX are concentrated in the southern region of the country. Only 2 squadrons operate the A-1, they are the Poker Squadron and the Centaur.
The air-to-ground attack fighter underwent modernization, where it gained the M designation, with this update the aircraft's cockpit was redesigned, thus gaining a lot of similarity with the A-29 Super Tucano and the F-5EM / FM. Other A-1 functions were also modernized.
Dassault Mirage F-2000
With the retirement of the Mirage III, and the various postponements of the FX program (a program aimed at purchasing a modern fighter for the FAB).
In 2005, Brazil bought 12 Mirage 2000C/B fighters from to replace the “brother” in Anápolis-GO. The then “new” FAB fighter also flew at Mach 2, had more modern avionics and could be refueled in flight.
The permanence of the new French deltas in Brazil was short-lived, a total of 8 years of operation of this fighter icon. In December 2013, with the retirement of the F-2000, a long and glorious journey of Mirage fighters in Brazil was put to an end.
BAAN (Anápolis Air Base), today called ALA-2, is defended by F-5EM fighters, which since 2013 have been on mission at the base. The narigudos, as they are called in the FAB, will remain active until the arrival of Brazil's new air defense vector, the SAAB Gripen NG.
New Era of Fighter Aviation
The future of fighter aviation in Brazil is already mapped out as soon as the SAAB Gripen NG or F-39 arrives in Brazil, our air force will make a real leap in technology and military power, thus balancing our fighter aviation to today's standards.
Brazil has already received the fighter in a symbolic way. In August of last year, Brazil's first Gripen NG made its maiden flight and is now in the testing phase in Sweden. It is even expected that the fighter will come to Brazil this year to carry out tests in our tropical climate.
The definitive delivery of this fighter to the FAB is scheduled to take place in 2021. The fighters will be based at ALA 2, in Anápolis-GO.
The highlight of the FX-2 Program, which resulted in the choice of the Gripen, was the transfer of technology, with that Brazil can and has already introduced national technology in the fighter, an example of this was the single WAD screen by the company AEL Sistemas, which will equip not only the FAB Gripens E/F, but also the Swedes.
Still talking about Brazilian participation in relation to the new fighter, a portion of the 36 fighters will be built in Brazil, at the Gavião Peixoto-SP unit. The prediction is that these fighters made in Brazil will be delivered in 2024.
Embraer is working together with the FAB and, of course, with the manufacturer SAAB in the fighter project. Currently FAB military personnel and Embraer engineers are in Sweden learning more about the new fighter to later on the knowledge to other professionals in Brazil. The most recent ones connected to this happened this month, when the first test flight of the Gripen F-39 was organized by a Brazilian team.
The Gripen E/F also represents a leap forward in aeronautical technology capacity in Brazil, the lessons learned from this great project will enable our aeronautical industry. It is even planned that more units of the fighter are produced here in Brazil, thus increasing our air power.
As the fighters arrive and are delivered to the FAB, the Era of the Tigers will come to an end, gradually as soon as the F-39s fully arrive in Brazil.
An Era at FAB ends, to start a new one.
