José Mucio, Brazil’s defense minister, said he will travel to Sweden next month to negotiate a possible sale of Embraer’s C-390 Millennium military cargo aircraft to the Nordic country, while the purchase of a second batch of Gripen fighters to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) could also be discussed.
Mucio told reporters in Rio de Janeiro that Brazil was looking to sell three or four C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft to Sweden, and noted that Stockholm also wants to sell more Saab Gripen fighters to Brazil.
The C-390 (or KC-390, when it comes to the in-flight refueling version) was not only ordered by Brazil, but is gaining ground in the demanding European market as a replacement for the aging C-130H Hercules, winning firm orders for the Portuguese and Hungarian Air Forces, and being selected by the Netherlands and Austria. It is also the favorite contender in the Czech Republic and Embraer has high hopes for a major contract in India.
Embraer/Saab Cooperation
Saab and Embraer announced in April during the International Defense and Security Fair (LAAD 2023), in Rio de Janeiro, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen the collaboration between the firms in several areas, mainly related to business development and engineering opportunities.
The companies issued a joint press release to inform that they will collaborate to position the C-390 Millennium aircraft as the preferred solution to meet the Swedish Air Force’s tactical airlift requirements, and will also evaluate the integration of Saab equipment and systems on the C-390 Millennium aircraft.
The Swedish companies have a joint Gripen fighter production line in Brazil, where 15 of the 36 aircraft currently ordered will be produced, but these numbers are expected to increase, as the FAB has stated on several occasions that it intends to place a second order for 36 or 40 F-39 (Brazilian Gripens E) fighters.
It is very likely that negotiations for the C-390 Millennium and F-39 Gripen will be conducted jointly, given the level of strategic partnership of their manufacturers and their overlapping interests.
