First locally built Gripen E flies from Embraer's Gavião Peixoto plant in Brazil
A Saab Gripen E took off at 10:21 local time on 6 October from the Gavião Peixoto industrial complex in São Paulo, piloted by Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg.
The aircraft, assembled by Embraer, will undergo a production acceptance campaign before receiving airworthiness certification and acceptance by the Brazilian Air Force, and is the first of 15 Gripen E aircraft planned for production under a contract covering 36 aircraft, with ten units already delivered; after testing it will be transferred to Anápolis Air Base to join the 1st Air Defense Group, and a Heads of Agreement allows for a potential additional 20 Gripen aircraft to be produced in Brazil.