Saab Gripen F makes first flight with Brazilian pilot aboard

Saab flew the two-seat Gripen F for the first time on August 28, 2026, opening the airborne phase of a test campaign that must be completed before the aircraft is handed over to Brazil.

The fighter took off from Saab’s airfield at Linköping, Sweden, at 09:40 local time and remained airborne for 40 minutes, the company said in its release.

Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg flew the sortie with Brazilian Air Force test pilot Lieutenant Colonel Abdon de Rezende Vasconcelos. Saab said the flight verified the functionality of the aircraft’s core systems and its initial flight performance.

Test campaign to expand the Gripen F flight envelope

Saab said the program will conduct initial production acceptance flights before moving into progressive envelope expansion, in which the aircraft’s limits for speed, altitude, G-load and angle of attack will be cleared step by step.

Tactical capabilities and the rear cockpit functions specific to the two-seat configuration are to be evaluated in parallel.

The campaign will be conducted by Saab’s Flight Test Centre at Linköping, Sweden. The company set out no schedule for the work and did not say when delivery to the Brazilian Air Force would follow.

Brazil helped develop the two-seat Gripen

The Saab Gripen F fighter (Credit: Saab)

Brazil is the launch customer for the Gripen F and took part in co-developing it. The country’s 2014 contract covers 36 aircraft, 28 single-seat Gripen E and eight two-seat Gripen F.

Saab said more than 350 Brazilian engineers, technicians and pilots have taken part in training tied to the aircraft’s development, production, flight testing and maintenance.

The flight follows the rollout of the first Gripen F at Linköping on June 2, 2026. Saab did not state whether the aircraft that flew on August 28, 2026, is that same airframe. The first Brazilian-assembled Gripen E was rolled out at Embraer’s plant in Gavião Peixoto on March 25, 2026, and eleven of the 28 aircraft had been delivered as of June 2026.

Any expansion of the order remains uncommitted. Sweden indicated on June 4, 2026, that Brazil could order around 20 more Gripen fighters, and Saab and Embraer signed a heads of agreement on July 21, 2026, positioning assembly at Gavião Peixoto as a complement to the Linköping line.The post Saab Gripen F makes first flight with Brazilian pilot aboard appeared first on AeroTime.

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