Saab Showcases Superior Air-Combat Edge with Brazil’s METEOR Firings

Military air-defence and long-range interception missions increasingly depend on weapon systems that outperform legacy missiles in reach, accuracy, and survivability against modern threats. This context frames why the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) conducted its first METEOR Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) firings from Gripen E, a milestone demonstrating how this aircraft-missile combination differentiates itself from competing platforms.

In November, FAB achieved a significant step forward by conducting the first METEOR launches from Gripen E, reinforcing Brazil’s air-defence deterrent power. Two missiles successfully struck their designated targets, confirming the system’s precision and effectiveness against long-range threats. The firings took place during the BVR-X Technical Exercise at Natal Air Base in Rio Grande do Norte, involving four Gripen E fighters and enabling FAB technicians and pilots to operate METEOR in realistic combat conditions.

According to Air Major General Breno Diogenes Gonçalves, Commander of Natal Air Base, the exercise expanded the F-39E Gripen’s capabilities and underscored the advantages created by combining advanced sensors, mission systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and a missile designed to make evasion nearly impossible. Saab Brasil Managing Director Peter Dölling highlighted that the successful operation reflects the strong collaboration between FAB, Saab and MBDA, giving Brazil access to high-end air-combat technology. MBDA’s Ricardo Mantovani added that METEOR is the outcome of multinational cooperation and offers air-superiority performance already certified for Gripen E in Sweden.

METEOR distinguishes itself through a ramjet motor that sustains thrust until interception, creating the largest No Escape Zone among medium-range air-to-air missiles. Its endgame kinematics and blast-fragmentation warhead ensure high lethality, and it remains effective day or night, in all weather conditions, and within dense electronic warfare environments.

Preparations for BVR-X were supported by Saab, MBDA and FAB units such as the Operational Applications Institute, which received transferred knowledge on missile employment. Patrol aircraft secured the maritime launch area, and the exercise used two manoeuvrable Mirach 100/5 drones replicating modern fighter speed and altitude profiles to provide demanding test conditions.

The results demonstrated the strong performance of the Gripen E and METEOR pairing, underscoring its operational importance within Brazil’s air-defence strategy and highlighting why this combination stands out among contemporary air-combat solutions.

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