The first Gripen E fighter aircraft assembled outside Sweden completed its maiden flight on October 7 2026 at Embraer's Gavião Peixoto plant in São Paulo state, Brazil. Embraer and Saab jointly announced the flight, confirming that the aircraft performed as expected during initial testing. This event marks the start of the production flight-test and acceptance campaign for the locally built fighter.
Event Overview and Immediate Outcome
The flight demonstrated the maturity of the Brazilian production line established under the Gripen program. Embraer led planning and execution of the maiden…