On a clear day over the Atlantic Ocean, history was made for the Brazilian Air Force as the roar of a Saab F-39E Gripen signaled a new era in South American air defense. It was November 27, 2025, when the fighter jet, belonging to the First Air Defense Group—famously known as the Jaguar Squadron—executed the first-ever live launch of the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile in Brazilian skies. This wasn’t just a routine drill; it was the culmination of years of negotiation, technological transfer, and intense training designed to catapult Brazil’s aerial warfare capabilities into the 21st century. The event took place near the Natal Air Base during the EXTEC BVR-X exercise, a carefully choreographed operation meant to push both the pilot and the machine to their absolute limits against high-speed aerial targets. The geography of Natal was specifically chosen for this milestone because its position offers immediate access to the open sea, providing a safe, controlled environment where the skies are monitored and maritime traffic can be strictly managed, ensuring that such a high-stakes test could proceed without endangering civilian commerce or travel.
The atmosphere surrounding the exercise was one of intense focus and high technical precision. The scenario was designed to replicate the chaotic and demanding nature of modern air combat, where threats must be neutralized long before the pilot ever makes visual contact with the enemy. To simulate this, the Gripen was tasked with intercepting Mirach 100/5 aerial targets, sophisticated drones capable of mimicking the high-altitude, high-G maneuvers of an enemy fighter jet trying to evade destruction. The successful firing of two live Meteor missiles during the core of this exercise provided the ultimate validation of the integration between the Swedish-designed jet and its European-made armament. For the teams on the ground, specifically the Anápolis Logistics Group, the work began long before the jet taxied to the runway. They were responsible for the meticulous technical preparation, weapon loading, and rigorous post-flight inspections that ensured the safety and success of the mission. The profiles flown during the launch were not random; they were selected by a specialized team of pilots and engineers to extract the maximum amount of telemetry data, verifying that the missile performs exactly as predicted in the brochure.
What makes the Meteor missile such a game-changer for the Brazilian Air Force is the technology hidden beneath its skin. Unlike conventional air-to-air missiles that burn through their rocket fuel in seconds and then coast toward a target, losing energy every moment, the Meteor is powered by a ramjet propulsion system. This allows it to throttle its engine during flight, maintaining peak energy throughout its trajectory and even accelerating during the final phase of the engagement. This capability creates a massive “no-escape zone”—estimated by experts to be around 60 kilometers—where an enemy aircraft effectively has zero chance of outrunning or outmaneuvering the projectile. With a maximum range exceeding 100 kilometers and speeds hitting Mach 4, the Meteor places Brazil well ahead of regional counterparts. By comparison, the performance of this weapon surpasses the AIM-120 AMRAAMs used by Chile and anticipated for Argentina’s future F-16s, as well as the Russian R-77 and R-27 missiles equipped on Venezuelan Su-30s. This technological leap ensures that the F-39E Gripen is not just a participant in the skies of South America but a dominant predator.
The path to this successful launch was paved with extensive preparation and international cooperation. Pilot training began with foundational instruction from Saab in Sweden, followed by rigorous simulator sessions at the mission trainer in Anápolis, where crews rehearsed the exact scenarios they would face during the BVR-X exercise. MBDA, the European missile manufacturer, provided crucial technical support on the ground, working hand-in-hand with the Operational Applications Institute. This collaboration is part of a broader offset agreement established during the 2019 contract, which ensures that Brazil doesn’t just buy weapons but also gains the industrial and technological know-how to understand and maintain them. The data collected from this live fire is now being analyzed to fine-tune tactics, techniques, and procedures. This information allows the Brazilian Air Force to understand the real-world limitations and capabilities of the weapon, influencing how they will fly and fight for decades to come.
While the Gripen and the Meteor were the stars of the show, the exercise was a symphony of support assets working in unison. The airspace was a hive of activity, with A-1M ground-attack aircraft from the Tenth Aviation Group playing the role of aggressors to create a realistic threat environment. High above, an E-99 early warning aircraft from the Sixth Aviation Group acted as the eye in the sky, managing the interdiction area and maintaining situational awareness. To ensure the range was clear, A-29 Super Tucanos monitored the perimeter for unauthorized aircraft, while P-3AM and P-95BM maritime patrol aircraft swept the ocean surface using radar and electro-optical sensors to keep vessels out of the exclusion zone. Even safety was layered, with an H-36 Caracal helicopter on standby for immediate search and rescue support. All of this was tracked in real-time by the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center, which captured the telemetry essential for declaring the test a success.
This event is a critical piece of a larger puzzle involving the modernization of Brazil’s military aviation. The introduction of the Gripen and Meteor follows the retirement and upgrades of older platforms like the Mirage III and F-5. The program, stemming from a contract for 36 aircraft, has seen the inauguration of a final assembly line in Gavião Peixoto, where Brazilian industry is now assembling these advanced fighters. With 11 aircraft already delivered and more on the way, the focus is shifting toward full operational capability. Following this live fire and upcoming tests of the 27 mm internal cannon, the Brazilian Air Force intends to clear the Gripen for real-world operational missions in 2026. This test on November 27, 2025, wasn’t just about blowing up a drone; it was a declaration that Brazil has successfully integrated one of the world’s most advanced air-to-air weapons, securing its airspace and national sovereignty for the future.
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