Sweden and Brazil have finally reached an agreement to seal a joint purchase of Gripen fighters and C-390 Millennium tactical transport aircraft.
On Saturday, the European country’s Defense Minister, Pål Jonson, was in Natal where he signed a letter of intent with his Brazilian counterpart, José Múcio, to expand cooperation in the aviation area.
According to Jonson, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) should acquire nine more F-39 Gripen fighters, within the 25% limit of the contractual addendum that waives the need for a new bidding process.
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The Swedish Air Force, in turn, will replace its old C-130 Hercules with the Embraer airlifter. The letter was signed during Cruzex 2024, a military exercise organized by the Brazilian Air Force with the participation of several aircraft, including the Saab fighter.
“It is very gratifying that we are now approaching a long-term solution and that the C-390 is a highly qualified platform with great development potential. We are now fully focused on implementing this absolutely central capability as quickly as possible,” said the Chief of the Air Force, Major General Jonas Wikman.
The number of C-390 Millennium aircraft was not mentioned, but it is believed that Sweden will need at least three jets. There are currently six C-130s in service with the air force.
Behind-the-scenes dispute
The announcement puts an end to a behind-the-scenes dispute that began early last year. At the time, Brazil had already signaled its interest in having a second batch of Gripen, but was expecting a Swedish counterpart in adopting the C-390.
The European Air Force decided to cancel plans to acquire a second-hand C-130J, but reopened the competition to select a new tactical transport aircraft.
The conclusion was that both aircraft met the requirements and that the decision would be up to the government.
In the meantime, the FAB began to talk about its intention to seek a second fighter model on the market, targeting cheaper used aircraft.
The US F-16 was officially recognized as one of them and there were statements in favor of the Indian HAL Tejas as well.
Sweden is the sixth European country to select the C-390, along with Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Five of these nations are also NATO members, which reinforces the importance of the Embraer aircraft within the military alliance.
