Embraer S.A. and Saab have signed up for closer collaboration between the companies in several areas, mainly related to business development and engineering opportunities. They will collaborate to position the C-390 Millennium aircraft as the preferred solution to meet the Swedish Air Force tactical air transport requirements and will also evaluate the integration of Saab equipment and systems into the multi-mission aircraft.

The companies will also pursue new business opportunities, including potential future customers of the Gripen, in Brazil and Latin America, considering the use of the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC) and the final assembly line at Embraer, in Gavião Peixoto. By doing so, Embraer and Saab will collaborate to increase Embraer’s participation in future Gripen contracts.

The companies will also collaborate on engineering and technical future fighter studies, thus consolidating the transfer of technology carried out by Saab for the Brazilian defense industry within the current Gripen program for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). This work can support the future growth of Gripen E out to 2060 and other future fighter needs as they arise.

“Saab and Embraer are two world leaders in the aerospace segment, recognized for the excellence of their engineering and products. I view this MoU with extreme optimism, as I am sure that the two companies together can further grow their business in various markets around the world,” says Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO, Embraer Defense and Security.

“Our two companies have worked together to deliver an outstanding capability for Brazil that will last for decades. This MoU is an important and gratifying step toward growing that co-operation into new areas between Saab and Embraer that goes beyond Brazil, while maximising our existing achievements,” comments Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson.

Gripen E/F is a multi-role fighter aircraft system. In 2014 Saab and the Brazilian Government signed the contract to supply the Brazilian Air Force with 36 Gripen aircraft, which includes not only the aircraft, but also logistical support, weapons, support systems, simulators, training, and development. The Gripen programme represents the most extensive technology transfer ever implemented by Saab, which is driving the development of Brazil´s Defence Industry through local companies, having Embraer as its main strategic partner in the country.

The C-390 Millennium is a military tactical transport aircraft which can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military cargo aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being capable of performing a wide range of missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions, operating on temporary or unpaved runways (i.e. including packed earth, soil and gravel).

In its refueling version, the aircraft has proven its aerial refueling capacity, as well as an aircraft receiving fuel from another KC-390 using pods installed under the wings, being the only aircraft in the world in the segment to carry out such an operation. Recently, the aircraft has achieved the Full Operational Capability (FOC), confirming that the project meets all the requirements defined and that the aircraft can successfully execute all missions for which it was designed.