Aircraft
First Supersonic Fighter Built in Brazil Unveiled
Inaugural Gripen F-39E to be followed by 14 more domestically assembled aircraft
Champagne being poured over Saab Gripen E
The inaugural Brazilian-built Saab JAS Gripen E (designated the F-39E in Brazilian service) marks the first time a Swedish fighter has been assembled abroad.

Brazil is celebrating the rollout of Latin America’s first domestically-produced supersonic fighter, the Saab Gripen E, from Embraer’s industrial site in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo. It marks the first of 15 single-seat jets to be assembled under a contract with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

The aircraft was built using components from a Brazilian and international supply chain, including aerostructure elements from Saab’s facility in São Bernardo do Campo. The final assembly line—inaugurated in May 2023—complements the adjacent Gripen Design and Development Network and the Gripen Flight Test Center.