In 1909, Canada celebrated the first powered flight of the history of the British Empire. The curious thing is that that plane, the silver dartwas considered Canadian, but had been designed by an international team, built largely in the United States, and then assembled in Nova Scotia. More than a century later, the aeronautical industry continues to operate in a very similar way.
The “Brazilian” fighter. When Brazil presented the first Gripen assembled in Latin Americathe focus was on the historic milestone of becoming the first country in the region capable of assembling a modern supersonic fighter. However, the really interesting news appears when you look at what is behind that achievement.
The secret is not that Brazil has created its own aircraft from scratch comparable to the large European or American programs, but in something much more complex and valuable: its capacity to progressively integrate in an international industrial chain and absorb technology until increasing national participation in the program is achieved. In other words, the real leap is not in building the entire plane, but in learning to build a significant part of it.
The myth of the national fighter. Modern fighter jets are probably some of the most globalized industrial products on the planet. Although the Gripen It is presented as a Swedish plane, the reality is much more complex. The radar Raven ES-05 It is manufactured in the United Kingdom, F414 engine It comes from the United States, numerous electronic components arrive from different countries and part of the intellectual property belongs to foreign companies.
In fact, different studies put the British and American share at such high percentages that, depending on how the calculations are made, Sweden alone represents only a part of the set. The Gripen is Swedish in terms of industrial leadership and design, but its manufacturing is deeply multinational.
The magic number: 40. Within this international framework appears the data that explains the Brazilian strategy. Sources linked to the program indicate that the objective is for Brazilian national content to reach approximately 40% in the final deliveries of aircraft destined for the Brazilian Air Force. The figure should be interpreted with caution because there is no universal methodology to calculate these percentages and the analysts themselves warn which cannot be directly compared with the industrial quotas claimed by the United Kingdom or the United States.
Even so, the data reflects something fundamental: Brazil has not limited itself to receiving aircraft assembled from Sweden. Its objective has been progressively increase the participation of Brazilian companies, engineers and technicians in the production process until the country becomes a relevant actor within the program.
Embraer and the transfer of knowledge. The centerpiece of this strategy is Embraer. Thanks to agreement signed with SaabBrazilian engineers participated for years in development activities in Sweden and gained experience in areas that go far beyond simple assembly. The program includes systems integration, structure manufacturing, software development and knowledge related to the production of advanced fighters.
The result is that the Gavião Peixoto facilities do not function as a mere assembly line where imported parts are assembled, but as a center where transferring industrial experience that did not exist before in Latin America.
The strategic value of assembly. At first glance it might seem that assembling an aircraft designed by another country has limited value. However, the history of the aviation industry demonstrates exactly opposite. The ability to integrate complex systems, manage logistics chains, certify components and maintain advanced aircraft constitutes one of the most difficult steps to overcome.
Brazil had already shown relevant capabilities with programs like Super Tucano or the KC-390but the Gripen introduces the country to a much more sophisticated technological ecosystem. Each assembled aircraft provides experience that can later be applied to future national or international developments.
The Swedish fighter that is not entirely Swedish either. The paradox is that Gripen itself helps understand Brazil’s position. The plane is often presented as a Swedish national product, but the reality is that it depends from an extensive network international suppliers and technologies. The United Kingdom provides fundamental systems, the United States supplies the engine and numerous critical components, while other countries participate in different subsystems.
There are even export restrictions stemming from British and American technologies integrated into the aircraft. In a way, Brazil is following the same model that the main aviation powers already use: no one makes just one modern fighter.
More important than buying airplanes. The decision made by Brazil in 2014 during the FX-2 contest It is not explained solely by the Gripen’s capabilities compared to its rivals. The main attraction was Saab’s willingness to share technology and allow much deeper industrial participation than that offered by other proposals. That choice is beginning to yield visible results more than a decade later.
Therefore, the first assembled Gripen on Brazilian soil symbolizes something more important than the arrival of a new fighter plane: it represents Brazil’s entry into the small group of countries capable of actively participating in the production of advanced supersonic fighters. And although much of the aircraft continues to arrive from Sweden and other international suppliers, the real story is in that 40%because that is where the knowledge that Brazil had been trying to acquire for years is found.
Image | Embraer
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