As the launch customer of the Gripen F, Brazil has worked with Saab to develop the twin-seat fighter jet.

Brazil’s first Gripen F multirole fighter jet has successfully completed its maiden flight. 

On Friday, the twin-seat variant of the Gripen E took off from Saab’s facility in Linköping, Sweden, around 9:40 a.m. local time and then completed a 40-minute test flight with Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg and Brazilian Air Force test pilot Lieutenant Colonel Aviator Abdon de Rezende Vasconcelos on board. The maiden flight served to verify the functionality of the aircraft’s core systems.

“This first flight represents an important step forward for both Saab and the Brazilian Air Force. Seeing Gripen F take to the skies is particularly significant for all the Swedish and Brazilian teams whose years of engineering work have helped turn this aircraft into a reality. It is designed to accelerate pilot training while enhancing operational performance in advanced combat missions,” says Lars Tossman, head of Saab business area Aeronautics. 

With the completion of the aircraft’s maiden flight, the Gripen F program will now move to the “progressive envelope expansion phase,” a step-by-step flight testing stage in aerospace engineering where new or modified aircraft are gradually pushed to the maximum limits. This is done to verify safety, stability, and control margins before expanding to more extreme operating conditions with the variant aircraft.

According to Saab, the tests will gradually push the Gripen F to “full performance limits,” which will include its speed, altitude, G-load, and angle of attack.

“In parallel, tactical capabilities and rear cockpit functions specific to the two-seat configuration will also be evaluated,” the aerospace firm explained.

About the Brazilian Gripen

Brazil is serving as the launch customer of the Gripen F, and the South American nation’s aerospace industry played a role in the co-development of the twin-seat model. More than 350 Brazilian engineers, technicians and pilots have received training as part of the technology transfer program.

“As the launch customer, Brazil played an active role in the co-development of the two-seat variant, enabling direct industrial participation and long-term cooperation,” Saab added.

The single-engine, two-seater Gripen variant will be locally designated the F-39F.

In 2014, the Brazilian government signed a deal with Saab for the development and production of 36 Gripen aircraft, including 28 single-seat E models and eight F variants. Deliveries began in 2020.

Earlier this year, the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, in partnership with Saab, completed manufacturing of the first F-39E Gripen at its facility in São Paulo.

The JAS 39 Gripen’s Specifications

• Year Introduced: 1996 (A); 2019 (E); 2023 (F)
• Number Built: ~300 (all variants)
• Length:
  • JAS 39C/E: 48 feet, 11 inches (14.9 m)
  • JAS 39 D/F: 51 feet (15.6 m)
• Wingspan: 27 feet, 6 inches (~8.4 m)
• Weight (MTOW): 30,865 pounds (14,000 kg)
• Engines: One GE F414G afterburning turbofan (E/F variants)
• Top Speed: Mach 2 (1,300 mph/2,100 km/h)
• Range: 500 miles (800 km/430 nmi)
• Service Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,240 m)
• Loadout: 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon (omitted on the two-seat variants), including air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder, air-to-ground missiles such as the AGM-65 Maverick, and anti-ship missiles such as the RBS-15
• Aircrew: 1 (A–E), 2 (F)

Even as Brazil remains the launch customer and co-development partner of the Gripen F, it will not be the sole operator. Colombia has ordered two Gripen Fs, along with 15 Gripen Es, and Thailand—which had acquired a dozen Gripen C/D models between 2008 and 2010—finalized a contract last year for three single-seat Gripen Es and one Gripen F.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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