GAVIÃO PEIXOTO / SÃO PAULO — Aircraft manufacturer Embraer and Swedish defense enterprise Saab announced the successful maiden flight of the first Gripen E (designated F-39 Gripen in Brazilian Air Force service) assembled outside Sweden. The flight test took place on October 6, 2026, at Embraer’s industrial unit in Gavião Peixoto, State of São Paulo.
Piloted by Saab Chief Test Pilot Jakob Högberg, the aircraft executed a multi-system functional evaluation mission designed to verify basic flight dynamics, propulsion response, and avionics behavior. The flight marks the transition of South America’s only supersonic fighter assembly line into active production acceptance operations, advancing the technology-transfer and local manufacturing offset goals under the 2014 agreement between Brazil and Sweden.
The aircraft is the first of 15 Gripen E fighters scheduled for local final assembly in Brazil. Following the completion of the production flight-test campaign, the unit will be delivered to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and assigned to the First Air Defense Group (1st GDA / “Esquadrão Jaguar”) based at Anápolis Air Base in Goiás State, which currently operates 10 previously delivered Swedish-assembled Gripen E units. 
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: SAAB / EMBRAER F-39 GRIPEN E
* System Designation: Saab JAS 39E / F-39 Gripen E (Single-seat variant)
* Industrial Consortium: Saab AB (Sweden) & Embraer Defense & Security (Brazil)
* Operating Forces: Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) & Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB)
* Contractual Footprint (Brazil): 36 Aircraft total (28 single-seat Gripen E + 8 two-seat Gripen F)
* Dimensional & Structural Parameters:
* Length / Wingspan / Height: 15.20 meters / 8.60 meters / 4.50 meters
* Empty Weight / Max Takeoff Weight (MTOW): ~8,000 kg / 16,500 kg (36,375 lbs)
* Internal Fuel Capacity: ~3,400 kg (3.4 metric tons)
* Propulsion & Powerplant:
* Engine Type: 1 × General Electric F414-GE-39E turbofan with afterburner
* Thrust Output: ~22,000 lbf (98 kN) with afterburner
* Supercruise Capability: Mach 1.2+ without afterburner engagement
* Performance Profile:
* Maximum Flight Speed: Mach 2.0 (~2,100 km/h) at high altitude
* Combat Radius: ~1,500 km (810 nautical miles) with internal/external tactical payload
* Service Ceiling: 16,000 meters (52,500 ft)
* Avionics, Sensor Fusion & EW Suite:
* Primary Radar: Leonardo Raven ES-05 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar mounted on an inclined swashplate for ±100° field of view
* Electro-Optical / IR System: Leonardo SkyWard-G Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) sensor
* Electronic Warfare (EW): Internal digital EW suite providing active jamming, missile launch warning, and radar warning receiver (RWR) coverage
* Human-Machine Interface (HMI): AEL Sistemas Wide Area Display (WAD) touchscreen cockpit, Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) Targo, and embedded AI-assisted tactical decision aids
* Payload Hardpoints & Armament:
* Stores Stations: 10 external hardpoints (air-to-air, air-to-surface, reconnaissance, and external drop tanks)
* Internal Gun: 1 × 27mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon (120 rounds)
* Weapon Integration Options: MBDA Meteor BVRAAM, IRIS-T, Python-5, Spice 1000/2000 precision-guided bombs, MAR-1 anti-radiation missiles, and RBS-15F anti-ship missiles
