Saab and Embraer have signed a Heads of Agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow that sets out a framework for producing 20 additional Gripen E/F fighters at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto complex in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.
The arrangement expands an existing industrial partnership rather than representing a fresh aircraft order, and neither company has named a customer for the potential tranche.¹
Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto site is currently the only Gripen final assembly location outside Sweden, and under the framework it would take on the extra aircraft alongside Saab’s primary line in Linköping.²
The Brazilian company already assembles 15 of the 36 Gripens that Brazil ordered in 2014, so the new tranche could roughly double Brazilian output, lifting it from 15 towards 35 aircraft.²
The framework builds on a partnership that matured in March 2026, when Saab, Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force unveiled the first supersonic Gripen assembled in Brazil at the same facility.
Skills have already moved to Brazil, with Brazilian engineers, pilots and technicians trained in Sweden and aerostructures for the Brazilian jets produced at Saab’s plant in São Bernardo do Campo.³
Gavião Peixoto has established itself as a manufacturing hub within the Gripen partnership, bringing together an experienced workforce and the available capacity that both companies cited as reasons for the proposed expansion.²
Embraer Defense & Security chief executive Bosco da Costa Junior said the expanded partnership reflected a decade of cooperation and left the company “well positioned to support increased production capacity, if demand requires it.”
Saab chief executive Micael Johansson said the agreement “reinforces our long-term commitment to Latin America” and secures additional capacity for future business.
The framework follows an indication from the Brazilian government of a potential order for 20 more Gripen E/F fighters.¹
Embraer has said the Gavião Peixoto line could support Saab’s export sales to new buyers across Latin America.¹
The expansion would deepen Brazil’s role from assembling its own fleet to potentially building aircraft for export customers, a step both companies framed as central to the partnership’s next phase.¹
The Gripen E/F, which the Brazilian Air Force operates under the local designation F-39, is the latest version of Saab’s single-engine fighter, and the framework would allow the company to build the type in Sweden and Brazil simultaneously, should further export contracts be signed.²
Beyond Brazil, Saab has widened the Gripen’s export base, with Colombia agreeing in 2025 to acquire 17 Gripen E/F aircraft and Ukraine ordering 16 new-build jets.¹
Both firms have positioned the Gavião Peixoto facility to support international programs alongside Brazilian orders, giving Brazil a continuing role in the Gripen’s global supply chain.¹
Saab and Embraer intend to conclude the corresponding production agreement during 2026.¹
A person within Saab has said the company may ultimately need three Gripen E/F production lines, including Gavião Peixoto and Linköping, to meet projected export demand.¹
Notes
- “Saab and Embraer Ready to Expand Gripen Production in Brazil,” FlightGlobal, July 21, 2026.
- “Embraer and Saab Sign Deal for 20 More Gripen Jets in Brazil,” Investing.com, July 21, 2026.
- “Saab, Embraer Agree on Potential Assembly of 20 New Gripen Jets in Brazil,” Airforce Technology, July 21, 2026.
