Saab’s Gripen E fighter has made its multi-national military exercise debut with an appearance at the 2024 Cruzeiro do Sul Exercise (CRUZEX) in Brazil.
Held from 3 to 15 November out of Brazil’s Natal Air Base in Rio Grande do Norte, CRUZEX is one of the largest operational air exercises in the Southern Hemisphere, involving over 100 combat aircraft and more than 2,000 military personnel from Brazil and 15 other nations from across Latin America, Africa, Europe and the United States. The main highlight of the 2024 edition of the exercise was the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) participating with the F-39E Gripen, as the type is designated in FAB service.
As the most advanced fighter in service in Latin America, the F-39E Gripen will execute a broad range of tasks in composite air operations (COMAO) during CRUZEX 2024, where a large number of aircraft with different objectives operate simultaneously against an enemy to saturate its defences, enhancing mission efficiency.
“At CRUZEX, we are acting both as enemy and friendly forces, the latter being our primary role,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Aviator Ramon Lincoln Santos Fórneas, commander of the 1st Air Defence Group (1º GDA): the first FAB unit to operate the Gripen. “In this context we will conduct offensive counter-air operations (OCA), in which F-39E Gripens will protect friendly forces while they carry out actions within enemy territory, as well as air operations, and defensive counter-air operations (DCA) aimed at defending against enemy attacks.”
The Gripen E, which features advanced technologies such as an active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar, an infra-red search and track (IRST) passive targeting sensor and onboard electronic warfare capabilities, has been operated by the FAB since December 2022.
“It is a true honour to see Gripen E’s debut at CRUZEX,” Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We have eagerly awaited this moment marking Gripen E’s first participation in a multi-national military exercise. We are delighted that this impressive inaugural event is hosted by our valued customer and partner, the Brazilian Air Force.”
