Overview
- The Gripen F, which flew Friday, remained airborne for 40 minutes at Saab’s Linköping airfield while crew checked primary systems and initial flight performance.
- Saab chief test pilot Jakob Högberg and Brazilian Air Force test pilot Lt. Col. Abdon de Rezende Vasconcelos jointly flew the sortie to validate the jet’s handling and onboard systems.
- The twin-seat Gripen F offers a fully independent rear cockpit so it can serve as both a conversion trainer and an operational fighter with sensors and architecture that mirror the single-seat Gripen E.
- Saab will carry out progressive envelope-expansion tests to clear speed, altitude, G-load and angle-of-attack limits and will evaluate tactical functions in the rear cockpit before formal acceptance and delivery.
- Brazil is the launch customer under a 2014 order for 28 Gripen E and eight Gripen F aircraft, Brazilian teams trained alongside Saab during development, and reported interest from countries including Thailand and Colombia could broaden exports.