Embraer S.A. and Saab announced today, at LAAD, in Rio de Janeiro, the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen the collaboration between the companies in several areas, mainly related to business development and engineering opportunities.
The companies will collaborate to position the C-390 Millennium aircraft as the preferred solution to meet the Swedish Air Force tactical air transport requirements and will also evaluate the integration of Saab equipment and systems into the C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft.
The companies will also pursue new business opportunities, including potential future customers of the Gripen, in Brazil and Latin America, considering the use of the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN), the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC) and the final assembly line at Embraer, in Gavião Peixoto. By doing so, Embraer and Saab will collaborate to increase Embraer’s participation in future Gripen contracts.
Finally, the companies will collaborate on engineering and technical future fighter studies, thus consolidating the transfer of technology carried out by Saab for the Brazilian defence industry within the current Gripen program for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). This work can support the future growth of Gripen E out to 2060 and other future fighter needs as they arise.
“Saab and Embraer are two world leaders in the aerospace segment, recognized for the excellence of their engineering and products. I view this MoU with extreme optimism, as I am sure that the two companies together can further grow their business in various markets around the world,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO, Embraer Defense & Security.
“Our two companies have worked together to deliver an outstanding capability for Brazil that will last for decades. This MoU is an important and gratifying step toward growing that cooperation into new areas between Saab and Embraer that goes beyond Brazil, while maximising our existing achievements,” said Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson.
Gripen E/F is a multi-role fighter aircraft system designed to defeat any adversary. Made for forward-thinking air forces, Gripen incorporates cutting-edge technologies, the latest systems, sensors, weapons, and pods to ensure combat advantage, delivering air superiority in highly contested environments.
In 2014 Saab and the Brazilian Government signed a contract to supply the Brazilian Air Force with 36 Gripen aircraft, which includes not only the aircraft, but also logistical support, weapons, support systems, simulators, training, and development. The Gripen programme represents the most extensive technology transfer ever done by Saab, which is driving the development of Brazil´s Defence Industry through local companies, having Embraer as its main strategic partner in the country.
The C-390 Millennium is the most modern military tactical transport aircraft of the new generation. Its multi-mission platform offers incomparable mobility, combining high productivity and operating flexibility with low operating costs, which is an unbeatable combination. The C-390 Millennium can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military cargo aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being capable of performing a wide range of missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions, operating on temporary or unpaved runways (i.e. including packed earth, soil and gravel).
In its refuelling version, the aircraft has already proven its aerial refuelling capacity, as well as an aircraft receiving fuel from another KC-390 using pods installed under the wings, being the only aircraft in the world in the segment to carry out such an operation. Recently, the aircraft has achieved the Full Operational Capability (FOC), confirming that the project meets all the requirements defined and that the aircraft can successfully execute all missions for which it was designed.
