KC-390 and Gripen E achieve key milestone with successful aerial refuelling certification

Embraer and Saab have successfully completed the certification test campaign for air-to-air refuelling between the KC-390 Millennium and the Gripen E, marking a major operational milestone for Brazil’s aerospace sector and boosting the export potential of both aircraft.

The campaign — conducted at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility and coordinated by the Brazilian Air Force’s Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA) — validated the Gripen E as a certified receiver aircraft and confirmed full compatibility across the KC-390’s flight envelope, including high-speed, day and night refuelling.

Engineers and test pilots from Embraer, Saab and the FAB evaluated multiple flight profiles, speeds and altitudes. According to the teams, the combination of the KC-390’s stable wake characteristics and the Gripen’s highly responsive fly-by-wire controls ensured precise and reliable refuelling manoeuvres.

Walter Pinto Júnior, COO of Embraer Defense & Security, said the campaign reinforces the KC-390’s credentials as a tanker aircraft and highlights its rapid reconfiguration capability: “This milestone confirms the KC-390’s unmatched qualities as a tanker and offers unbeatable flexibility to air forces worldwide.”

Saab’s Head of Flight Testing, Mikael Olsson, called the achievement “a very significant technical milestone,” noting that it extends the Gripen E’s operational reach and further strengthens the strategic partnership between Brazil and Sweden.

FAB programme lead Colonel Aviator George Luiz Guedes de Oliveira described the operation — dubbed Samaúma — as a “success of cooperation that goes beyond borders,” combining Swedish technology, Brazilian engineering and the operational oversight of the Brazilian Air Force.

The Swedish Military Aviation Authority (SE-MAA) will now review the refuelling verification as part of the Gripen E’s ongoing certification. Brazil’s Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute (IFI) will conduct its own certification process to ensure compliance with international standards.

With around 40 military personnel involved, the campaign places Brazil among the few nations capable of developing, testing and validating complete aerial refuelling solutions using domestically developed technology.