Saab Gripen F takes flight as Brazil’s two-seat fighter enters testing

Saab has completed the first flight of the Gripen F, placing the two-seat version of its latest-generation fighter into airborne testing ahead of delivery to the Brazilian Air Force.

The aircraft took off from Saab’s airfield in Linköping, Sweden, at 09:40 local time and remained airborne for 40 minutes.

Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg flew the inaugural sortie alongside Brazilian Air Force test pilot Lieutenant Colonel Aviator Abdon de Rezende Vasconcelos.

The flight verified the operation of the aircraft’s core systems and provided an initial assessment of its flight performance.

“This first flight represents an important step forward for both Saab and the Brazilian Air Force,” said Lars Tossman, head of Saab’s Aeronautics business area.

“Seeing Gripen F take to the skies is particularly significant for all the Swedish and Brazilian teams whose years of engineering work have helped turn this aircraft into a reality. It is designed to accelerate pilot training while enhancing operational performance in advanced combat missions.”

Gripen F begins flight-test campaign

The flight moves Gripen F into the airborne phase of its test program, which will initially include production acceptance sorties followed by a progressive expansion of the aircraft’s operating envelope.

Test pilots will gradually clear the fighter’s limits for speed, altitude, G-load and angle of attack. Saab will also evaluate its tactical capabilities and the rear-cockpit functions specific to the two-seat configuration.

The two-seat Gripen F is based on the single-seat Gripen E but provides space for a second crew member. Its most obvious role will be converting pilots onto the aircraft and accelerating training without removing the ability to undertake operational missions.

The additional cockpit could also support complex missions in which distributing the workload between two crew members provides an advantage.

Saab’s Flight Test Center in Sweden will conduct the test campaign. Once the planned testing and aircraft acceptance procedures have been completed, the first Gripen F will be prepared for delivery to the Brazilian Air Force.

Saab has not provided a delivery date.

Brazil helped develop the two-seat Gripen

Brazil is not only the Gripen F’s launch customer but an active participant in its development.

The aircraft has emerged from the strategic partnership between Brazil and Sweden and the technology-transfer program accompanying Brazil’s acquisition of the Gripen E and F.

More than 350 Brazilian engineers, technicians and pilots have participated in training connected with the development, production, flight testing and maintenance of the aircraft.

That involvement has given Brazilian industry a direct role in creating the two-seat variant while establishing domestic knowledge intended to support the fleet throughout its service life.

The Gripen F’s maiden flight is a milestone for both Saab and Brazil: it begins the final testing journey towards an operational two-seat aircraft while demonstrating the depth of the industrial partnership behind the wider Brazilian Gripen program.