Brazil turns to Sweden for used Gripen fighter jets to plug looming capability gap
September 22, 2025
Brazil is negotiating with Sweden to acquire up to 12 used Saab Gripen C/D fighter jets to plug an impending capability gap.
According to Folha de São Paulo, the purchase is being considered in light of budgetary constraints and delayed deliveries of its Gripen E/F fleet.
Deliveries of Gripen E/F to Brazil stretch to 2032
The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) is set to retire its AMX A-1 ground attack aircraft imminently. Its Northrop F-5 Tiger II aircraft will remain in the fleet until 2029.
However, although Brazil’s $5.4 billion 2014 contract for 36 Gripen E/F jets originally foresaw all deliveries completed by 2024, successive budget cycles and political amendments — 12 contractual addenda to date — have pushed that timeline back to 2032, an eight-year delay.
So far, the FAB has received 10 Gripen Es, with the first Brazilian-assembled jet due to fly this year from Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility. In all, 15 of Brazil’s 36 Gripens will be built at Embraer’s facility under a technology transfer partnership.
Until the full fleet is in service, Brazil faces a sustained shortfall in both air defence and precision strike capacity.
The FAB still operates around 40 F-5Ms, modernised between 2005 and 2020 with new avionics, radars, and electronic countermeasures. However, Brazil has indicated a planned phase-out by 2029.
Alongside them, roughly 30 AMX A-1s remain, though not all are operational. Based at Santa Maria air base, the AMX fleet is also slated for retirement.
Without replacement aircraft, senior commanders have warned lawmakers of an “apagão” — or blackout — in Brazil’s air defence capability.
Echoes of past Mirage stopgap purchases
Brazil has resorted to interim solutions before. Between 2006 and 2013, it operated a dozen second-hand Mirage 2000s bought from France to cover a previous gap in its inventory.
Today, a similar mix is being discussed: six additional new-build Gripen E/F fighters combined with up to 12 used C/Ds from Sweden. T
This arrangement would maintain momentum in the Gripen programme without requiring the FAB to take on the full cost of a major new order.
Sweden weighs export of Gripen C/Ds
Sweden plans to keep around 60 Gripen C/Ds in service until 2035, and has already declined to donate aircraft to Ukraine because of its own NATO obligations. Any transfer of a dozen surplus jets to Brazil would therefore represent a significant trade-off for Stockholm.
Brazil’s Air Force Commander, Lt Brig. Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno raised the issue during his September 2025 visit to Stockholm, where he met Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson.
While the official bilateral defence declaration focused on Sweden’s order for four Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft, reports suggest the used Gripen deal was part of the broader discussions.
Alternative fighter jet offers under review by Brazil
Although Sweden remains the frontrunner, other suppliers have pitched interim fighters to Brazil:
- Lockheed Martin F-16s from the United States
- HAL Tejas Mk1A from India
- Leonardo M-346FA from Italy
- Chengdu J-10CE from China, reportedly linked to access to Brazil’s Alcântara satellite launch centre
Adopting any of these would add a new aircraft family to the FAB, complicating logistics and training. By contrast, Gripen C/Ds align with Brazil’s existing Gripen ecosystem.
Brazil remains committed to expanding its Gripen fleet beyond the original 36 aircraft, with targets of up to 45–50 jets under discussion. The partnership with Saab and Embraer has already established Brazil as the first country outside Sweden to assemble Gripens, creating a regional hub for support and potential exports — notably to Colombia, which signed a letter of intent for Gripen E/F in April 2025.
A decision on the used Gripen C/D acquisition is expected before the end of 2025. If signed, refurbished aircraft could enter FAB service within 18 months, ensuring Brazil avoids a defence ‘blackout’ and cementing its position as the regional anchor of Saab’s Gripen programme.
