Brazil could place a follow-on order for around 20 additional Saab Gripen fighters, Sweden indicated on June 4, 2026, signaling a potential expansion of one of the largest defense industrial partnerships between a European manufacturer and a Latin American air force.
The comments, reported by Reuters, came on the sidelines of a meeting in Stockholm between Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson and his Brazilian counterpart Jose Mucio Monteiro, where the two signed an agreement to deepen technological cooperation between the countries.
Mucio tied the prospective follow-on order to the existing program’s track record, telling reporters, “We’re doing this because what we’ve been doing so far has been a success.”
The talks came days after the June 2, 2026 rollout of the first two-seat Gripen F for the Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) at Saab’s facility in Linkoping, Sweden. That aircraft, designated F-39F in Brazilian service and carrying serial number 4000, is the launch example of the variant.
Beyond the 2014 contract
Brazil’s existing program rests on a $5.4 billion contract signed in 2014 for 36 aircraft, comprising 28 single-seat Gripen E and eight two-seat Gripen F jets. Saab has handed over 11 aircraft to the Brazilian Air Force to date, with the first Brazilian-assembled Gripen E rolled out at Embraer’s Gaviao Peixoto plant in Sao Paulo State on March 25, 2026.
A further 20-aircraft order would push the Brazilian fleet well beyond that baseline. Stockholm and Brasilia signed a letter of intent in November 2024 covering a roughly 25 percent expansion of the original order, alongside Sweden’s selection of the Embraer C-390 Millennium, four of which Sweden confirmed plans to buy. The latest signal points to a larger commitment than that earlier framework implied.
Capability gap and industrial pull
Brazil has separately weighed acquiring up to 12 used Gripen C/D jets from Sweden to bridge a looming capability gap, as the Brazilian Air Force retires its AMX A-1 ground attack aircraft and operates its Northrop F-5 Tiger II fleet toward the end of the decade while new Gripen deliveries run behind schedule.
Any expanded Brazilian order would also feed Saab’s push to lift Gripen output. Chief Executive Micael Johansson said on April 23, 2026 that the company aims to reach as many as 20 aircraft per year within about 12 months, drawing on production lines in Sweden and Brazil. Mucio has also said talks are underway on establishing a Gripen research and development center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil’s main aerospace hub.
Sweden has not confirmed a firm figure, and no contract has been signed. Saab is pursuing Gripen campaigns elsewhere, including its Gripen E/F sale to Ukraine and a possible production line in Canada.