Embraer and Saab, in close cooperation with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), have completed the full certification flight test campaign for air-to-air refueling (AAR) between the KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft and the Gripen E fighter.
The campaign, conducted at Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, was coordinated by the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA) and integrated test pilots and engineers from Saab, Embraer, and the FAB. Across a comprehensive envelope of flight regimes, altitudes, and speeds, the teams verified refueling precision, aircraft compatibility, and system behavior under day and night conditions. Both platforms’ digital fly-by-wire architectures proved instrumental in ensuring stable, predictable, and safe operations.
The test program had two primary objectives. First, to qualify the Gripen E as a receiver — confirming aerodynamic stability, structural margins, and handling qualities throughout the refueling sequence. Second, to verify full compatibility across the KC-390’s operational envelope, including high-speed refueling configurations. The results significantly reinforce interoperability between these two latest-generation aircraft.
“This milestone confirms the KC-390’s unmatched qualities as a tanker and further strengthens our partnership with Saab and the Brazilian Air Force,” said Walter Pinto Júnior, COO of Embraer Defense & Security. “Its rapidly convertible multi-mission capability offers air forces worldwide an exceptionally flexible and cost-effective solution.”
Mikael Olsson, Saab’s Head of Flight Testing, highlighted the broad implications: “In-flight refueling verification is a major technical achievement and marks a new level of operational reach for Gripen E. The success of this campaign reinforces the strategic partnership between Brazil and Sweden and Brazil’s expanding role within the global Gripen programme.”
FAB’s campaign director, Colonel Aviator George Luiz Guedes de Oliveira, emphasized the multi-national nature of the program: “This verification represents the result of a cooperation that transcends borders — uniting Swedish technology, Brazilian engineering, and the operational excellence of the Brazilian Air Force.”
With flight testing completed, verification data will now be reviewed by the Swedish Military Aviation Authority (SE-MAA) as part of Gripen E’s certification process, followed by the Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute (IFI) of the FAB. Both authorities ensure compliance with the most rigorous international military aviation standards.
Named Operation Samaúma, the campaign involved approximately 40 FAB personnel and positions Brazil among the select group of nations capable of developing, testing, and validating indigenous in-flight refueling systems.
