Sawt Falasteen - Brazil may purchase 20 more fighter jets from Sweden

Defence Minister Pal Jonson said that the countries had signed a declaration of intent.

"In the statement of intent, there is an interest also on the Brazilian side to go beyond the 36 that's been delivered and possibly also procuring another 20 Gripen," Jonson told a Stockholm press conference alongside his Brazilian counterpart Jose Mucio.

Jonson added that the additional planes would be manufactured in Brazil.

In 2014, Brazil decided to purchase 36 Gripen E/F fighter jets produced by aircraft manufacturer Saab in a deal valued at $4.5 billion.

In late March, the South American country unveiled the first Gripen built on its soil, as the 2014 agreement includes 15 aircraft manufactured at the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer's facilities in Gaviao Peixoto, in the state of Sao Paulo.

"Those additional aircraft mean that our partnership is working well," Mucio said, referring to the planned new order.

"It has been a success. The difficulties have been overcome and we are going to be working on making this partnership even better," he added.

The conditions under which the 2014 contract was awarded were the subject of a wide-ranging investigation in Brazil over suspicions that corruption influenced the decision to opt for the Swedish plane over the French-made Rafale.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was prosecuted over the affair after his first term, which ended in 2011, before being acquitted in 2021 over a lack of evidence.

Brazil and Sweden on Thursday also agreed to set up a centre dedicated to developing new systems and equipment for the operation, maintenance, and modernisation of the Gripen aircraft in Brazil.

Y.AlMasri--SF-PST