The Brazilian air force (FAB), Embraer and Saab have completed a certification flight-test campaign to clear the Gripen E for in-flight refuelling operations with the KC-390 tanker.

Named Operation Samauma, the activity – which was recently conducted from Embraer’s Gaviao Peixoto site – involved “a range of flight configurations, speeds and altitudes”, and “confirmed precision during in-flight refuelling” the Brazilian company says.

Objectives included proving the fighter’s suitability as a receiver, and “verifying the compatibility of both aircraft across the KC-390’s entire flight envelope, for high-speed refuelling under both day and night conditions”.

“Both aircraft’s latest-generation fly-by-wire systems contributed to the successful operation, with the KC-390 providing a favourable wake and the Gripen demonstrating responsiveness in flight,” Embraer says.

Images released on 14 November show the test campaign as having involved an Embraer-owned KC-390 demonstrator and two of the FAB’s single-seat F-39Es, with the fighters receiving fuel simultaneously from under-wing hose and drogue pods. Brazil currently has around 10 Gripen Es in service, with the type having been acquired via a deal for 28, plus eight twin-seat F-model jets.

“This important milestone confirms the KC-390’s unmatched qualities as a tanker and further strengthens our partnership with Saab and the Brazilian air force,” says Embraer Defense & Security chief operations officer Walter Pinto Junior. “The unique multi-mission capability offered by the KC-390, which allows the airplane to be converted into a tanker in a matter of hours, [which] offers unbeatable flexibility to air forces worldwide,” he adds.

Embraer has so far delivered eight KC-390s to the FAB, from an eventual total of 19.

“The Swedish Military Aviation Authority will now be able to review the verification evidence for the air-to-air refueling capability of Gripen E as part of its certification process,” the company notes.

The development also will be of interest to the Swedish air force, which recently fielded its first two of 60 on-order Gripen Es. Stockholm also is a customer for the Brazilian-built tactical transport, having signed a contract in early October to acquire four examples as replacements for its veteran Lockheed Martin C-130Hs.

“The success of this campaign further reinforces the strategic partnership between Brazil and Sweden and Brazil’s role within the global Gripen programme ecosystem,” says Mikael Olsson, the Swedish airframer’s head of flight testing.