Sweden may transfer production of Gripen fighter jets to Brazil for Ukraine

The Swedish defense company Saab could face a significant strain on its production capacity if it were to sign several major international contracts at the same time. Potential deals include the supply of 20 to 150 JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jets to Ukraine, an order from Canada for 72 units, and Brazil’s own domestic needs. 

Against this backdrop, Brazilian aircraft manufacturing giant Embraer, a key industrial partner of the Swedes, has announced its readiness to assist in scaling up production and assembling aircraft for third countries. 

Currently, Brazil is carrying out the final assembly of Gripen aircraft on its territory and seeks to increase its share in the production process. However, for Ukraine, the scenario involving Latin American production capacity is ambiguous, as Kyiv had previously insisted on localizing at least part of the aircraft assembly at its own facilities. Furthermore, Embraer’s actual capabilities will depend on the pace of fulfilling its own defense order, which—given Brazil’s new plans—will increase to 34 aircraft and require several years of work. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Gripen production is an internationally distributed process, with over 30% of components (including radar systems) are supplied by the United Kingdom, which will require close coordination among all participants in the global cooperation.