Saab notes its role in the Gripen deal has passed muster with judicial authorities in both Sweden and Brazil.
“These investigations were closed without indicating any wrongdoings by Saab,” the company says.
That conclusion was apparently not satisfactory for authorities in Washington, who are likely investigating Brasilia’s decision at the behest of US airframer Boeing.
Brazil’s fighter procurement programme, known as FX-2, took place between 2008 and 2014,
pitting Saab’s latest Gripen E/F against the Boeing F/A-18/E/F Super Hornet and the Dassault Rafale F3 to replace the FAB’s Dassault Mirage 2000Cs.
Although the French airframer at one point
appeared to have the edge, Saab ultimately prevailed. At the time of its awarding in 2014, the contract for 36 jets was valued at $4.5 billion.