The Brazilian Air Force has officially admitted that the Gripen E/F fighter delivery program from Saab, partially localized through Embraer, is facing serious setbacks due to significant delays in aircraft handovers as well as increased costs.
Chief of Staff of the Brazilian Air Force, Brigadier General Walsir Josué de Castilho Araújo, confirmed these issues during a briefing, Infodefensa reports.
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Originally, the Gripen deliveries were expected to be completed by early 2024. However, the updated schedule now stretches well beyond that. According to the revised timeline: one aircraft will be delivered in 2025, four in 2027, five in 2028, two in 2029, three in 2030, and five each in 2031 and 2032. This means Brazil will face an eight-year delay in receiving its full fleet of Gripens.
On top of that, the programs cost has risen by 13%. As the brigadier general noted, with the additional money being spent, Brazil could have purchased six more fighters at todays market value.
The original contract, signed in late 2014, covered the delivery of 36 Gripen E/F fighters for $5.4 billion. Under the terms, some aircraft would be produced in Sweden while others would be assembled in Brazil at Embraer facilities.
However, the localization of production or rather, assembly in Brazil has itself taken 11 years to implement.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that Sweden has stated new Gripen E jets for Ukraine would only be available after the war, but older versions could potentially be transferred sooner.
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