Saab Gripen E gains air-to-air refuelling clearance with Embraer KC-390 after joint test campaign
November 14, 2025
Saab, Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) have completed the full test campaign to certify the Gripen E for in-flight refuelling from the KC-390 Millennium, marking a major step towards the fighter’s full operational clearance.
The trials took place at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto test site, home to the Gripen Flight Test Centre, and were coordinated by the FAB’s Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA). Engineers and test pilots from Saab, Embraer and the FAB evaluated refuelling performance across multiple altitudes, speeds and configurations, including high-speed transfers by day and night.
Saab says the results demonstrate that Gripen E has achieved a new level of operational maturity.
“The verification of in-flight refuelling is a very significant technical milestone for our business,” said Mikael Olsson, Head of Flight Testing at Saab. “It confirms that Gripen E has reached a new level of operational reach and further reinforces the strategic partnership between Brazil and Sweden.”
As well as an achievement for the Gripen, Embraer also benefits from compatibility confirmation for the KC-390.
“This important milestone confirms the KC-390’s unmatched qualities as a tanker,” said Walter Pinto Júnior, Chief Operations Officer of Embraer Defense & Security. “Its ability to be converted into a tanker in a matter of hours offers unbeatable flexibility to air forces worldwide.”
Read more: What to expect from Embraer at Dubai Airshow.
Inside Operation Samaúma: How Brazil certified Gripen–KC-390 refuelling
The certification effort, designated Operation Samaúma by the FAB, brought together around 40 military personnel and a combined test team across Saab and Embraer.
Although neither company has disclosed the total number of sorties, FAB officials describe Samaúma as one of Brazil’s most extensive air-to-air refuelling campaigns to date. The work included:
- multi-point evaluations across the KC-390’s full operational envelope
- stability and structural-integrity checks on the Gripen E during fuel transfer
- day and night refuelling tests at varying closure rates
- verification of wake interaction supported by both aircraft’ fly-by-wire systems
Crucially for Brazil, the entire activity was conducted using domestic infrastructure, national instrumentation and local engineering capability. The FAB is positioning Samaúma as evidence that Brazil can plan, execute and verify a complete AAR certification programme without external test centres.
“It is the result of a joint effort combining Swedish technology, Brazilian engineering and the operational excellence of the Brazilian Air Force,” said Colonel Aviator George Luiz Guedes de Oliveira.
The data package now moves to the Swedish Military Aviation Authority (SE-MAA) and Brazil’s Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute (IFI) for formal certification.
Refuelling milestone strengthens global prospects for Gripen E and KC-390
Although the formal certification applies to the Gripen E as a refuelling receiver, the campaign simultaneously strengthens the KC-390’s credentials as a modern tactical tanker.
Gripen E’s ability to take fuel from a modern tactical tanker is now backed by real flight-test evidence, which matters particularly to air forces that lack extensive tanker fleets of their own. It also unlocks the jet’s full operational profile for Brazil, where long-range air defence and Amazonia patrol missions depend heavily on assured AAR availability.
For Embraer, the campaign adds meaningful weight to the KC-390’s credentials as a tanker. Portugal and Hungary are already bringing the aircraft into NATO service, and demonstrating compatibility with a front-line fighter strengthens its case as an alternative to the C-130J in Europe and beyond.
Each new certified receiver broadens the KC-390’s operational relevance at a time when several air forces are reassessing their tactical transport and refuelling needs.
Taken together, the pairing offers Brazil an integrated national capability, while giving both Saab and Embraer a stronger hand in global competitions. It underlines the maturing partnership between the two programmes and arrives at a moment when interoperability and flexibility are becoming central selection factors for future fleets.
