Brazilian Air Force Will Probably buy at Least 108 Gripen

The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira: FAB) expects to field "at least" 108 Saab Gripen E/F combat aircraft by the time deliveries are complete, a senior service official disclosed on 18 November.

Speaking under the Chatham House Rule at the IQPC Fighter Conference in London, the officer said that the aircraft will be delivered in three batches running from 2019 through to 2032, adding that the USD5.4 billion contract announced in October for 36 aircraft represents just the first batch (these will be delivered by 2024).

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Saab, Brazil FInalize Gripen Purchase

Saab and industrial partners including Embraer are to start work on 36 Gripen NG fighters formally ordered by Brazil with the signing on 27 October of a SKr39.3 billion ($5.8 billion) contract for delivery over five years, starting in 2019.

The deal – under negotiation since December 2013, when Brazil selected the Gripen over Dassault's Rafale and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for its F-X2 requirement – is for 28 single-seat and eight two-seat aircraft, and makes Brazil the export launch customer for the NG model.

About 15 of the aircraft will be assembled in Brazil and the rest in Sweden, although 150 Brazilian engineers and a number of technicians will soon be arriving in Sweden for training and to participate in the assembly of some of the aircraft.

Lennart Sindahl, who heads Saab’s aeronautics business, says the single-seaters will be similar to the E-model Gripens under development for the Swedish air force. As part of a technology transfer plan, the two-seaters will include some Brazil-specific design features and will be developed with the help of the engineers being dispatched to Sweden.

The two-seaters will therefore, adds Sindahl, be delivered later in the five-year delivery cycle.

The Gripens will replace Dassault Mirage 2000C fighters operated by Brazil’s 1st Air Defence Group and a number of modernised Northrop F-5EMs in four other air force squadrons.

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Belgium Offers RFI for F-16 Replacement

The Belgian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a request for information (RFI) to five foreign government agencies regarding various aircraft that could replace the national air force's ageing F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet.

Several defence ministry officials were quoted by Belga News Agency as saying that the RFI does not commit to a future purchase nor to the selection of a specific aircraft, but "aims to gather information" beyond the open-source data used for initial evaluation.

One of the sources said that the RFI was issued following approval from the outgoing defence minister Pieter De Crem, and does not mention the number of aircraft to be acquired.

Issued to the Joint Program Office (JPO), the Navy Integrated Program Office (NIPO), the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) of the French Ministry of Defence, the Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency (FXM) and the UK Ministry of Defence, the RFI marks the first step in a process that will lead to the acquisition of a new fighter before the retirement of the F-16s starts in 2023.

While JPO is in charge of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II programme, the NIPO, DGA, FXM and UK MoD look after Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS-39 Gripen, and Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft, respectively.

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Swiss Voters Reject Gripen Fighter Purchase

Swiss voters have rejected the country's planned purchase of 22 Saab Gripen E fighter aircraft in a landmark referendum on 18 May.

In a major blow to Saab, the country voted 53.4% against the proposed CHF3.126 billion (USD3.45 billion) purchase of the Gripen E to replace the country's ageing Northrop F-5 Tiger II fighter aircraft. Within a total turnout of 55.3%, 1.542 million Swiss voted against the purchase, with 1.344 million in favour.

The Gripen E had been selected by Switzerland in November 2011 to replace the F-5s, and had gone through a lengthy process of parliamentary approval prior to the public referendum.

The rejection now poses major questions for the Swiss Federal Department of Defence Civil Protection and Sport (VBS). In April the VBS stated it had no 'plan B' should the referendum go against the purchase of the Gripen.

The 54-strong Tiger II fleet has been in Swiss service since 1978 and is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2016. Meanwhile, the other element of the Swiss Air Force's combat fleet, its 32 Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets, is itself currently scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2025. With the purchase of the Gripen now rejected, the VBS urgently needs to identify a solution to maintain the country's air policing capabilities.

Speaking following the referendum result, Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer stated that: "This decision has the effect of creating security gaps. We will make every effort to address these gaps in time in this difficult context. During the coming months, we must consider different options to find the best solution of readiness of the army."

A short-term solution could involve upgrading and refurbishing the country's existing Tiger II fleet, which could be maintained in service until at least 2020 should the need arise. Equally, a service life extension for the Hornet fleet will likely now be considered.

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Finland Interested in F-35 Joint Strike Fighters?!

Finland should reject overtures to procure the Saab Gripen E fighter aircraft, if the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) can be acquired at a comparable cost, the country's defence minister said on 22 April.

As reported in the Helsinki Times , Carl Haglund said Finland should not put Nordic defence co-operation ahead of performance when choosing between the Swedish-built Gripen E and the US-built F-35, providing there is little difference in cost between the two types.

"Although I advocate co-operation with Sweden, we should not acquire Swedish [Gripen E] fighters if we could acquire American F-35 stealth fighters for roughly the same price. Performance must take precedence in the investment," he is quoted as saying.

The proposal to strengthen Finland's defence ties with its Nordic neighbour Sweden through a Gripen E buy was made by the speaker of parliament, Eero Heinäluoma, and the country was named by Saab officials in March as a potential future customer.

While Haglund's comments would appear to indicate Finland favours the F-35 as a potential replacement for the air force's current 55 Boeing F/A-18C and seven F/A-18D Hornet fighters, his use of the word 'if' would suggest the Gripen E might be best placed to secure any such requirement.

Then again, maybe not.  Comparable price?!  riiiiiiight.

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Brazil Purchases Swedish Gripen for Next Fighter After Dumping French Rafale in Negotiations

After more than 10 years of discussions, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has finally decided to purchase the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen E multirole fighter aircraft for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to meet the FX-2 programme.

Minister of Defence Celso Amorim and Air Force Commander Brigadier Juniti Saito made the official announcement at a press conference on 18 December.

The decision to finally end the wait over which one of the three remaining bidders - the French Dassault Rafale, the US Boeing F-18 Super Hornet, and the Swedish Saab Gripen E (formerly NG) Fighter - would secure the contract for the 36 FX-2 fighter jets came suddenly following an end of the year ceremony on Wednesday between Dilma and military officers.

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