Also Read: Two French Rafales intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltics, and the mission shows how quickly NATO\u2019s warning line is moving<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThat second seat matters. In practical terms, it gives the rear pilot a real workstation, not just a place to observe. Think of it like having a navigator during a difficult drive, except the road is a fast-moving battlespace filled with sensors, weapons data, and split-second decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brazil gets it first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Brazil is not just buying the aircraft. It has been the launch customer and an active co-development partner in the two-seat version, which is why the first Gripen F is headed to the Brazilian Air Force<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 2014 contract between Saab and Brazil covers 36 fighters, including 28 single-seat Gripen E jets and eight two-seat Gripen F jets. Deliveries began in 2020, and Saab says 11 aircraft had been handed over by the time of the Gripen F rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than an aircraft deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the most important parts of the program is technology transfer. Saab says Brazil has trained hundreds of engineers and technicians through the partnership, strengthening its national aerospace base in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe rollout of Gripen F represents a shared achievement between Saab, Brazilian industry and the Brazilian Air Force,\u201d said Lars Tossman, head of Saab\u2019s business area Aeronautics. For Brazil, that means the jet is also an industrial project, not only a military purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hungary watches closely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hungary did not get the first Gripen F, but it remains an important Gripen country in Europe. Saab announced on April 30, 2026, that Hungary had received two new Gripen C fighters<\/a>, the first two aircraft from a four-jet order tied to a February 2024 contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce that expansion is complete, Hungary will operate 18 Gripen C and D aircraft with the latest upgrades. That may sound like a small fleet compared with the largest air forces, but in Central Europe every extra aircraft can matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATO\u2019s shared sky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Hungarian Gripen fleet is not only about Hungary\u2019s own airspace. NATO describes air policing<\/a> as a permanent peacetime mission, and the alliance notes that Hungary and Italy have covered Slovenia\u2019s airspace since Slovenia joined NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s where this story becomes regional. A fighter based in one country can become part of a wider shield for neighbors that have fewer aircraft or are moving through fleet transitions. It is a reminder that modern defense planning rarely stops at the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The climate question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A fighter jet is fuel-intensive by design\u2013nobody should confuse it with green transportation. But the defense sector is now being pulled into the same climate<\/a> conversation that already surrounds airlines, shipping, factories, and everyday energy use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso Read: Eighteen Sea Shadow stealth ships could have protected the US carrier fleet, and the abandoned idea now looks strangely modern<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nNATO\u2019s 2021 Climate Change and Security Action Plan said the alliance would develop a method to map greenhouse gas emissions from military activities and installations. The point, to a large extent, is simple enough: you cannot reduce what you do not measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saab\u2019s green targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Saab says climate action is one of its key environmental areas, and its science-based targets include a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030, using 2020 as the base year. The company also lists a 25% reduction target for applicable Scope 3 emissions by 2030 and a net-zero target by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That does not make a combat aircraft \u201cgreen.\u201d It does, however, put pressure on the whole chain around the aircraft, including production, testing, logistics, maintenance, business travel, suppliers, and eventually the fuel used by customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/saab-gripen-f-brazil-air-force-rollout-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
As the first two-seat Gripen F enters the Brazilian Air Force fleet, it marks a major milestone in Swedish-Brazilian industrial cooperation and pilot training capability.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFuel is the hard part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Saab has previously said JAS 39 Gripen fighters are certified to run on up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel<\/a>. The company also said test flights using 100% synthetic fuel showed no drop in performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStill, the hard part is not only whether an aircraft can use cleaner fuel<\/a>. It is whether enough of that fuel exists, whether militaries can afford it, and whether supply chains can deliver it reliably during a crisis. That\u2019s the catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy the second seat matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The environmental argument around Gripen F is not that one new cockpit layout suddenly cuts emissions. Saab has not published a fuel-saving figure for the two-seat model, so it would be wrong to claim one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The practical case is more careful. If one aircraft can handle both advanced training and real combat tasks, air forces may be able to reduce duplicated training steps and make pilot conversion more efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the day, less wasted time can also mean less wasted fuel, but the real numbers will depend on how each air force uses the jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A wider export push<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Gripen F is also becoming part of Saab\u2019s broader export push. Thailand ordered four Gripen E and F aircraft in 2025, including three Gripen E jets and one Gripen F, with deliveries planned from 2025 to 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nAlso Read: For the first time, a woman completes Sayeret Matkal\u2019s training track, and Israel\u2019s most secretive unit faces a historic shift<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nColombia<\/a> also signed for 17 Gripen E and F aircraft in 2025, including 15 single-seat Gripen E jets and two Gripen F aircraft. Saab said that agreement included offset projects in areas such as cybersecurity, health, sustainable energy, and water purification technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat happens next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before final delivery to Brazil, the first Gripen F will move to Saab\u2019s Flight Test Centre in Sweden for a dedicated flight test campaign. That is the next step before the aircraft enters the Brazilian fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the story is bigger than a new jet on a runway. It is about Brazil\u2019s aerospace ambitions, Hungary\u2019s regional role, Saab\u2019s export strategy, and the growing pressure to make defense programs more efficient in a warming world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The official press release was published on Saab<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Saab has rolled out the first Gripen F, a new two-seat version of the Gripen E fighter, and Brazil is … <\/p>\n
The 2014 contract between Saab and Brazil covers 36 fighters, including 28 single-seat Gripen E jets and eight two-seat Gripen F jets. Deliveries began in 2020, and Saab says 11 aircraft had been handed over by the time of the Gripen F rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than an aircraft deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the most important parts of the program is technology transfer. Saab says Brazil has trained hundreds of engineers and technicians through the partnership, strengthening its national aerospace base in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe rollout of Gripen F represents a shared achievement between Saab, Brazilian industry and the Brazilian Air Force,\u201d said Lars Tossman, head of Saab\u2019s business area Aeronautics. For Brazil, that means the jet is also an industrial project, not only a military purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hungary watches closely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hungary did not get the first Gripen F, but it remains an important Gripen country in Europe. Saab announced on April 30, 2026, that Hungary had received two new Gripen C fighters<\/a>, the first two aircraft from a four-jet order tied to a February 2024 contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once that expansion is complete, Hungary will operate 18 Gripen C and D aircraft with the latest upgrades. That may sound like a small fleet compared with the largest air forces, but in Central Europe every extra aircraft can matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hungarian Gripen fleet is not only about Hungary\u2019s own airspace. NATO describes air policing<\/a> as a permanent peacetime mission, and the alliance notes that Hungary and Italy have covered Slovenia\u2019s airspace since Slovenia joined NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where this story becomes regional. A fighter based in one country can become part of a wider shield for neighbors that have fewer aircraft or are moving through fleet transitions. It is a reminder that modern defense planning rarely stops at the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fighter jet is fuel-intensive by design\u2013nobody should confuse it with green transportation. But the defense sector is now being pulled into the same climate<\/a> conversation that already surrounds airlines, shipping, factories, and everyday energy use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NATO\u2019s 2021 Climate Change and Security Action Plan said the alliance would develop a method to map greenhouse gas emissions from military activities and installations. The point, to a large extent, is simple enough: you cannot reduce what you do not measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saab says climate action is one of its key environmental areas, and its science-based targets include a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030, using 2020 as the base year. The company also lists a 25% reduction target for applicable Scope 3 emissions by 2030 and a net-zero target by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That does not make a combat aircraft \u201cgreen.\u201d It does, however, put pressure on the whole chain around the aircraft, including production, testing, logistics, maintenance, business travel, suppliers, and eventually the fuel used by customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saab has previously said JAS 39 Gripen fighters are certified to run on up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel<\/a>. The company also said test flights using 100% synthetic fuel showed no drop in performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, the hard part is not only whether an aircraft can use cleaner fuel<\/a>. It is whether enough of that fuel exists, whether militaries can afford it, and whether supply chains can deliver it reliably during a crisis. That\u2019s the catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The environmental argument around Gripen F is not that one new cockpit layout suddenly cuts emissions. Saab has not published a fuel-saving figure for the two-seat model, so it would be wrong to claim one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The practical case is more careful. If one aircraft can handle both advanced training and real combat tasks, air forces may be able to reduce duplicated training steps and make pilot conversion more efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, less wasted time can also mean less wasted fuel, but the real numbers will depend on how each air force uses the jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gripen F is also becoming part of Saab\u2019s broader export push. Thailand ordered four Gripen E and F aircraft in 2025, including three Gripen E jets and one Gripen F, with deliveries planned from 2025 to 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colombia<\/a> also signed for 17 Gripen E and F aircraft in 2025, including 15 single-seat Gripen E jets and two Gripen F aircraft. Saab said that agreement included offset projects in areas such as cybersecurity, health, sustainable energy, and water purification technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before final delivery to Brazil, the first Gripen F will move to Saab\u2019s Flight Test Centre in Sweden for a dedicated flight test campaign. That is the next step before the aircraft enters the Brazilian fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the story is bigger than a new jet on a runway. It is about Brazil\u2019s aerospace ambitions, Hungary\u2019s regional role, Saab\u2019s export strategy, and the growing pressure to make defense programs more efficient in a warming world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The official press release was published on Saab<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Saab has rolled out the first Gripen F, a new two-seat version of the Gripen E fighter, and Brazil is … <\/p>\nNATO\u2019s shared sky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The climate question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: Eighteen Sea Shadow stealth ships could have protected the US carrier fleet, and the abandoned idea now looks strangely modern<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Saab\u2019s green targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fuel is the hard part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why the second seat matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A wider export push<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: For the first time, a woman completes Sayeret Matkal\u2019s training track, and Israel\u2019s most secretive unit faces a historic shift<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
What happens next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n