Colombia Signs for Saab Gripen E/F

Having stated in April that it was to acquire an unspecified number of Saab Gripen E/Fs, the Colombian government signed a contract for 17 aircraft on November 14. The deal, valued at €3.1 billion ($3.6 billion), covers 15 Gripen E single-seaters and two Gripen F two-seaters, plus associated equipment, training, weapons, and services. Deliveries are scheduled to begin next year and run to 2032.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced the deal during a visit to a military base. A contract signing ceremony took place in Cali and was attended by Benjamin Dousa, Sweden’s minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade. The two governments also signed a pair of offset agreements covering various military and social projects, such as sustainable energy, water purification, cybersecurity, and aeronautics.

Colombia’s Gripen contract marks the end of a long-running effort to find a modern replacement for the IAI Kfir, which has been in service with the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana since 1989. In 2022, Colombia announced that it was contemplating the Dassault Rafale, while refurbished Lockheed Martin F-16s have also been on the table.

For Saab and its Brazilian development/industrial partner Embraer, the Colombian deal represents a second customer for the two-seat Gripen F. The first test aircraft is in final assembly at Saab’s Linköping facility, alongside two other aircraft on the production line. Delivery to the flight test department in Sweden is scheduled for 2026.

Brazil is the lead customer, with Embraer and partners playing a major role in the two-seater’s development program. The air force has just completed in-flight refueling certification flights for the Gripen E single-seater with the Embraer KC-390 tanker. Sweden’s military aviation authority will review verification evidence as part of the Gripen E’s certification, which will be followed by approval from the Brazilian air force’s certification authority.