Embraer and Saab sign agreement for 20 additional Gripen fighters

Embraer and Saab announced on Monday (21) that they had signed a Head of Agreement (HoA) covering the potential manufacture of 20 additional Gripen fighter aircraft at Embraer’s industrial complex in Gavião Peixoto, in the interior of São Paulo state.

The announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, marking another step forward in the companies’ decade-long partnership. Under the agreement, Embraer would assemble the aircraft, supplementing Saab’s production line in Linköping, Sweden, to meet growing worldwide demand for the Swedish fighter.

Gripen production capacity in Gavião Peixoto

According to the companies, the initiative would increase production capacity for the Gripen programme through a globally integrated manufacturing model, giving it greater flexibility to serve future international customers.

“The expansion of this partnership with Saab reflects the mutual trust built over the past ten years and reinforces Embraer’s strategic role in the Gripen programme. We are very well positioned to support increased production capacity as demand makes this necessary,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defence & Security.

For Saab, the agreement underlines the Swedish manufacturer’s commitment to Latin America while preparing the company for future commercial opportunities: “The partnership between Saab and Embraer reinforces our long-term commitment to Latin America. Together, we are strengthening our capabilities, ensuring additional capacity for future business opportunities and taking a forward-looking approach to supporting the evolving needs of our customers across the region,” said Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab.

Embraer and Saab technology transfer partnership

Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility has become one of the company’s leading industrial hubs, bringing together advanced manufacturing capabilities, a skilled workforce, and a domestic and international supplier network. The manufacturers state that the complex has a strategic role in expanding output and strengthening the high-technology aerospace industry.

Co-operation between Embraer and Saab began more than a decade ago as part of the Gripen programme for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). Since then, the companies have developed an extensive technology-transfer programme, providing training for engineers, technicians, assembly operators and maintenance specialists in both Brazil and Sweden.

According to the manufacturers, this exchange has strengthened both companies’ industrial capabilities, expanded knowledge sharing, and established foundations for new growth opportunities in the defence sector. Should the agreement be finalised, subject to the FAB signing the contract amendment to acquire more F-39 aircraft, production of the 20 fighters in Gavião Peixoto would be another step towards establishing the Brazilian facility as part of the Gripen global manufacturing chain.