Brazilian-made wide area and head-up displays for the Saab Gripen E/F will be offered to all customers of the single-engined fighter as a potential cockpit upgrade, says Mikael Franzén, head of Business Unit, Gripen Brazil.
The Brazilian air force’s $5.4 billion order for 36 Gripen fighters includes several changes from the Swedish air force version. Instead of three multifunction displays, the FAB selected a 19in by 8in wide-area touchscreen made by AEL Sistemas, an Elbit Systems subsidiary based in Brazil.
The latest version both the wide area and head-up displays are now in safety-of-flight testing with Saab, according to AEL.
“We will make them available for all Swedish air force customers,” Franzén says.
So far, the Gripen E has only been ordered by Sweden and Brazil. The latter also has ordered eight, two-seat F-models, which Brazil is responsible for designing.
The Brazilian fighter development programme is on track to complete first flight of the single-seater in 2019, with all 36 aircraft delivered between 2021 and 2024, Franzén says.
flightglobal.com