Brazilian Air Force conducts Meteor missile firings with Gripen E

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has conducted the first firings in Brazil of an MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) from a Gripen E fighter, Saab announced on 2 December 2025.

The firings, which took place in November 2025 during the BVR-X Technical Exercise at Natal Air Base in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, involved two Meteor BVRAAMs, which successfully struck their designated targets.

The targets were two manoeuvrable Mirach 100/5 drones, specifically designed for the exercise, that replicated the speed and altitude profile of modern fighter, creating a demanding environment to demonstrate the missile’s precision and adding realism to the evaluation.

With the participation of the First Air Defence Group (1º GDA), the Technical Exercise brought together four Gripen E fighters in a large-scale operation that, for the first time, allowed FAB technicians and pilots to handle and employ the Meteor missile in combat-like conditions.

“The BVR-X was a crucial step in expanding the capabilities of the F-39E Gripen,” Air Major General Breno Diogenes Gonçalves, commander of Natal Air Base and director of the Technical Exercise, was quoted as saying in a Saab press release. “The Gripen and Meteor combination projects Brazil’s combat power and strengthens the deterrence required by our air force and, above all, by the country. With advanced sensors, mission systems and electronic warfare capabilities, combined with a missile designed to make evasion virtually impossible, this combination provides a decisive advantage in air combat,” he said.

“The success of this operation reflects the strong partnership between the Brazilian Air Force, Saab and MBDA,” added Peter Dölling, managing director at Saab Brasil. “Through this close collaboration, we are bringing cutting-edge technology to Brazil. The Gripen and Meteor combination places the country among the few nations worldwide with access to this level of air combat innovation.”

Ricardo Mantovani, MBDA’s vice president for export sales in the Americas, stated, “Meteor is one of the best examples of what is at the core of MBDA’s DNA: co-operation. It is the result of the joint effort of six European nations, led by MBDA, to create the most sophisticated air-to-air weapon system in operation today. The missile, already certified for use with Gripen E in Sweden, is a game-changer that ensures air superiority for its operator. Brazil now benefiting from this capability is an element of pride for MBDA.”

The Meteor’s ramjet motor provides thrust all the way to its threat interception, creating “the most extensive no-escape zone of any medium range air-to-air missile”, Saab stated. The Meteor’s endgame kinematics and blast fragmentation warhead also ensure maximum effectiveness, allowing the missile to engage a wide variety of targets, day or night, in any weather conditions and in intense electronic warfare environments.

Preparations for the BVR-X Technical Exercise took place with support from Saab, MBDA and several FAB units, including the Operational Applications Institute, which received key knowledge transfer on missile employment. Patrol aircraft also helped secure the maritime area to ensure safe launch conditions.

The single-seat Gripen E and twin-seat Gripen F, which are co-produced in Brazil by Embraer, entered FAB service in December 2022. The FAB plans to field a fleet of 36 Gripen E/Fs, which in Brazilian service are known as F-39E/Fs.