By Leandro Maldonado
Brasilia, Brazil, 10 October 2015 — The contract for the purchase by Brazil of 36 fighter-bombers SAAB JAS 39 Gripen to equip the Força Aérea Brasileira has now come into effect as all required conditions have now been fulfilled. The associated industrial co-operation contract (including technology transfer to Brazilian industries), which was signed in October 2014, also comes into effect.Today, the order value of approximately 39.3 billion Swedish crowns is booked by Saab as order intake. On 27 October 2014 Saab announced the conclusion of a contract with the Brazilian Federal Government for the development and production of 36 Gripen NG aircraft. Gripen NG deliveries to the Brazilian Air Force will be undertaken from 2019 to 2024 at a rate of six to seven aircraft per year.
“Through the Gripen NG programme, we continue to build on the industrial relations between Brazil and Sweden. I am confident that this important programme will serve as a platform for new business and contribute to the growth of both the Brazilian and Swedish industry,” says Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of Saab’s Board of Directors.“This important milestone marks the formal start to the Brazilian Gripen NG programme. We will now work full speed ahead to ensure timely deliveries of Gripen NG to Brazil. Our partnership with Brazilian industry strengthens Saab’s position in Latin America and supports our strategy for growth through industrial co-operation,” says Håkan Buskhe, President and CEO of Saab.
The technology transfer programme will further contribute to the development of an independent, advanced defence industrial base in Brazil. Brazilian engineers and technicians will come to Saab for education and on-the job-training in Sweden starting in October 2015. “The acquisition of Gripen NG will provide benefits beyond the enlargement of the Brazilian Air Force’s operational capacity. In addition to equipping FAB with one of the world’s most modern fighters, the participation in the development of Gripen NG means a technological breakthrough for Brazilian industry,” says Tenente-Brigadeiro Nivaldo Luiz Rossato, Commander of the Brazilian Air Force.
