NEWTOWN, Conn. - Brazil has set aside BRL1 billion ($417 million) in the 2015 draft budget for the acquisition of Saab Gripen NG fighter jets.
Under project FX-2, Brazil has agreed to purchase 36 JAS39 fighters from the Swedish company. A final contract is expected to be signed this December. According to the president of the Combat Aircraft Program Coordinating Committee, Brig. Jose Augusto Crepaldi Affonso, the allocation in the FY15 budget demonstrates the government's commitment to the procurement.
The Brazilin MoD's FX-2 Project Monitoring Committee has been tasked, among other responsibilities, with ensuring that funding is secured.
The aircraft will be delivered between 2019 and 2024. Technology transfer will begin next year with more than 100 Brazilian defense industry experts scheduled to travel to Linkoping, Sweden, to begin the process.