Brazil signs agreements on fighter jets purchased from Sweden

Defense Minister Celso Amorim has signed two agreements on Thursday (Apr. 3), in Sweden, as part of a program to purchase 36 Gripen NG fighter jets for Brazil.

One of the documents establishes closer bilateral dialogue on other military collaboration projects. The second one is a non-disclosure agreement to protect sensitive information regarding the transaction and any further projects that may be developed between Brazil and Sweden in the future.

Before signing the two agreements, Amorim met with the Swedish Minister for Defence, Karim Enström, and emphasized that the procurement partnership is conditional upon technology transfer between the two countries. The Minister had previously underscored this requirement when he announced the choice of Gripen NG. Access to source codes will enable Brazil to add on equipment and systems to the original aircraft.

Amorim went on to discuss marketing rights on Gripen NG, which will be produced in Brazil through technology transfer. The two countries have agreed that Brazil can sell its locally made Gripen NG to other Latin American and developing countries with which it maintains “close bilateral relations”.

During the meeting, Brazilian Air Force (FAB) Commander, Brigadier Juniti Saito, assured the Swedish representatives that Brazil's industrial park is fit to handle the new technology arising from the collaboration: “You can be assured that we are fully prepared, and we'll honor all our non-disclosure commitments.”

The ministers have also discussed the delivery dates for ten Gripen C/D jets that Sweden is going to lend to Brazil until the first Gripen NG aircraft are available in 2018. The loan will consist of six jets expected to be delivered in the first quarter in 2016, and the other four in early 2017. The FAB commander stressed the need of enabling pilots and the ground crew to have prior contact with equipment similar to the version purchased by Brazil in order to get familiarized.

A joint statement by the two countries on the partnership can be found here.

Translated by Mayra Borges