Image: SAAB
Six Brazilian Air Force F-39E Gripen fighters have taken part in a multinational exercise outside Brazil for the first time. The jets joined SALITRE 2026, a multidomain exercise held in Chile, as per a recent press statement.
The exercise ran from Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta. It brought together more than 1,500 military personnel and around 60 aircraft from six nations. Participants logged over 250 flight hours during the deployment.
Alongside aircraft from Chile, Argentina, Colombia, the United States and Paraguay, the Gripen fleet flew missions typical of conventional warfare. Air forces operated under a single coalition command throughout the exercise. The Brazilian jets conducted escort, sweep, combat air patrol and air defence missions, both within and beyond visual range. Pilots used the aircraft’s electronic warfare suite, AESA radar and infrared search and track sensor.
Peter Dölling, Managing Director of Saab Brazil, commented that the deployment marks a further step in the Gripen programme’s evolution. He added that the exercise reinforces interoperability with allied air forces and strengthens regional defence cooperation.
Lieutenant Colonel VÃtor Bombonato, Commander of the 1st Air Defence Group, described how Gripen E’s sensors fuse large volumes of data for pilots. He commented that sharing this information across the flight increases situational superiority.
Brazilian squadrons prepared for the deployment through exercises held in Brazil roughly a month earlier, alongside simulator training recreating the Antofagasta scenario. Bombonato added that the aircraft’s range allowed a direct flight from Anápolis to Antofagasta without refuelling.
The Gripen fleet completed more than 50 sorties and over 100 flight hours during the deployment, maintaining high availability throughout.
Read more on SAAB’s website
