Brazilian Air Force Saab F-39E Gripen Achieves Full Operational Capability (FOC)

Following the latest certifications confirming their entry into service, the Brazilian Air Force’s Saab F-39E Gripen fighters have officially achieved Full Operational Capability (FOC). Confirmed towards the end of 2025, this milestone marks the maturity of a weapons system whose principal systems are already in service and have been effectively tested.

Full Operational Capability rests on three key milestones completed during the year: certification for air-to-air refuelling with Embraer KC-390 Millennium aircraft, the first live firing of an MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile, and the first aerial gunnery exercise. Coordinated by Embraer, Saab and the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), these tests confirm the Gripen system’s technological maturity and its full integration into Brazil’s air-defence spectrum.

Saab F-39E Gripen air-to-air refuelling capability

The first achievement came during Operation Samaúma at Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, where air-to-air refuelling between the Gripen E and KC-390 was certified. This trial decisively extended the F-39’s endurance, enabling it to cover the entire national territory and sustain long-range missions in areas of strategic interest. Confirmation of compatibility between the two aircraft was a crucial technical step, validating the Gripen’s ability to conduct Combat Air Patrol missions with comprehensive logistical support from the transport fleet.

Meteor missile firing and aerial gunnery trials

Meanwhile, the BVR-X exercise at Natal Air Base validated the second milestone: the first live launch of the Meteor air-to-air missile. Regarded as one of the world’s most advanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat systems, it provides substantial deterrent power by combining a variable-thrust ramjet engine with a two-way data link. Its integration on the Gripen E takes the Brazilian Air Force to a new level of regional strategic capability, giving the country an asset able to neutralise threats at distances exceeding 150 kilometres.

The third milestone took place on 8 December at Santa Cruz Air Base, when the F-39E carried out its first aerial firing exercise using the 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon. This stage assessed weapon accuracy, response times to air-defence alerts and system effectiveness in realistic scenarios. Conducted by the First Air Defence Group (1st GDA), the test confirmed the Gripen’s reliability and the doctrinal consolidation of its operational use. It also underlined the national industry’s contribution, particularly Akaer’s work on the structural development of the cannon bay.

Brazilian Air Force F-39 Gripen programme outlook

Together, these three milestones - air-to-air refuelling, the Meteor launch and cannon firing - give the F-39 Gripen system a new level of technological autonomy and operational capability. The Air Force, Embraer and Saab have fully integrated a modern, interoperable system supported by extensive technology transfer, strengthening the country’s Defence Industrial Base (BID).

Despite this progress, the F-X2 programme retains a long-term work horizon. Under the revised plan, deliveries of the 36 ordered Gripen E/F aircraft will continue until 2032, on a schedule that allows for annual variations in the number of aircraft received. Although the delays contrast with the original timelines, the programme continues to provide the Brazilian Air Force with strategic capabilities, industrial knowledge and technological sovereignty.

With the Gripen E at full operational capability, the Brazilian Air Force is establishing itself as one of the region’s most modern. Equipped with an AESA radar, state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems and Meteor missiles, the F-39 has become the cornerstone of the country’s air defence. In this regard, Air Lieutenant-Brigadier Raimundo Nogueira Lopes Neto, Commander of Readiness, stated: “The Gripen fulfils every requirement to perform Brazil’s Air Defence Alert mission, confirming that the country now has a modern, precise asset fully integrated with its aerospace defence systems.”