Gripen Flight Test Centre
Gavião Peixoto (SP)
The Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC), located at Embraer's premises in Gavião Peixoto (SP), aims to establish the procedures and capability to test new functionalities as part of the Gripen's development trajectory in the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). This is an activity carried out in partnership with Embraer.
Inaugurated in 2020 with the arrival of the first Gripen in Brazil, the GFTC is part of the Gripen Technology Transfer Program and is integrated into the aircraft testing program already running at Saab, in Linköping, Sweden, since 2017.
The centre collects telemetry information from flights in real-time, which is analyzed by Brazilian and Swedish pilots, technicians, and engineers involved in the test campaign. The activities carried out include testing flight control and climate systems, aircraft performance in tropical climates, weapons, tactical systems and sensors, and communication systems.
In 2021, supersonic flight tests were carried out in Brazil, at designated test areas, and water spray tests were also conducted successfully to ensure the fighter's ability to operate in adverse situations.