The Colombian government has concluded a landmark negotiation with SAAB to procure 17 Gripen-E multi-role fighters, valued at approximately USD 4.25 billion.

This deal marks the most expensive defence acquisition in Colombia’s history and signals the long-awaited retirement of the Israeli-built IAI Kfir fleet that has served the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC) for over four decades.

The development, first revealed by Radio Caracol, caps years of indecision, political turnover and competing proposals that delayed the programme across three successive governments.

According to reports, the contract may be officially announced or even signed during the centennial celebration of the FAC’s 106th anniversary in Cali on 14 November. The timing would offer a symbolic closure to the Kfir era while launching Colombia into a new technological generation of combat aviation.

The final order comprises 17 single-seat Gripen-E aircraft, marking a change from earlier discussions that indicated 18 aircraft, including a two-seater F variant. The adjustment remains unexplained but is likely linked to financing negotiations or industrial participation terms with Sweden.

The cost distribution appears structured over a long-term financing plan extending beyond 2030, helping balance Colombia’s fiscal constraints while sustaining its most ambitious military modernisation effort to date.

Payments will begin in 2026 with an initial instalment of USD 26 million, while deliveries are scheduled between 2027 and 2032. This schedule mirrors SAAB’s production arrangement with Brazil, the first international Gripen-E customer, and aligns production capabilities within the company’s shared industrial supply network in Sweden and Brazil.

The delay in deliveries implies that the FAC must continue operating its ageing Kfir fleet for two or three more years, a costly necessity given the platform’s escalating maintenance demands.

The Kfirs, nearing the end of their structural life, require intensive technical upkeep, and their flight-hour cost has risen sharply in recent years. This transition phase will test the FAC’s maintenance capacity and operational readiness while the Gripen fleet is assembled and inducted.

With the new aircraft, Colombia stands to gain a substantial technological leap. The Gripen-E features an advanced AESA radar, an infrared search and track system, and an integrated electronic warfare suite capable of handling modern threats.

It supports a wide range of armaments, including beyond-visual-range Meteor missiles, short-range IRIS-T and AMRAAM, as well as precision-guided air-to-surface munitions. This arsenal will fundamentally transform the FAC’s air combat and strike capabilities, elevating its deterrence power regionally.

A defining feature of the Gripen lies in its operational flexibility. The fighter is designed for rapid turnaround, low maintenance overheads and decentralised sustainment operations. Its ability to operate efficiently from short, semi-prepared runways suits Colombia’s complex geography, where dispersed deployment and tactical mobility are critical for quick response across multiple theatres, including mountainous and jungle terrains.

Beyond performance, the deal’s offset package proved decisive in SAAB’s favour against competitors such as Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70 and Dassault’s Rafale. The Swedish proposal includes a broad industrial and technological cooperation scheme that extends beyond aerospace manufacturing. It encompasses projects in renewable energy, potable water initiatives, and healthcare development—an approach that dovetails with Colombia’s national priorities for sustainable and inclusive growth.

The aerospace element of the offset package ties into Colombia’s ambitions to expand its domestic industrial base. Cooperation with Brazilian industry, particularly Embraer, is under discussion as Bogotá aims to replicate aspects of Brazil’s F-39 Gripen programme. The arrangement could enable component integration or future maintenance capabilities in Colombia, fostering long-term regional collaboration within the Gripen-Ecosystem.

Strategically, Colombia’s selection of the Gripen-E represents a transformative move for South America’s air combat landscape.

With Brazil already operating the type, a potential Gripen selection by Peru would consolidate a powerful regional bloc operating a common European platform. Such an alignment would enhance interoperability, streamline logistics and enable coordinated regional maintenance and training solutions.

For SAAB, the Colombian breakthrough reaffirms the Gripen’s growing foothold in Latin America and positions it as an attractive alternative to American and French fighters. For Colombia, it marks a significant step towards a modern, networked, and sustainable air power capability—one designed not only for air defence but also for multi-domain integration in the decades ahead.

International Agencies