Note text in portuguese

GRIPEN NG – Importante – Força Aérea Sueca adota o WAD desenvolvido pela AEL Sistemas Link

DefesaNet

The 60 Gripen E fighters ordered by Sweden will include the most modern cockpit displays, developed by AEL Sistemas, harmonizing the Swedish and the Brazilian Programs.

The three displays were initially developed to meet the operational needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB):

– Wide Area Display (WAD);

– Head-Up Display (HUD) and

– Helmet Mounted Display (HMD).

As a result of a harmonized aircraft configuration, the displays will also be exported to the Swedish Air Force Gripen E fighters. This deal turns AEL into one of Saab's main global suppliers.

The harmonization of the Swedish and Brazilian Gripen E/F programs is exemplified by the innovations offered by AEL Sistemas and promotes an inverse transfer of technology from Brazil to the world, showing a new example of spillover effect of the industrial partnership. This achievement exceeds the expectations of the Brazilian Air Force in increasing the capacity of the national industry, one of the great objectives of the Brazilian Gripen Program, and is fruit of intense technology transfer and technical collaboration between Saab and AEL. 

After numerous training sessions with Swedish and Brazilian pilots in simulators equipped with AEL’s high-resolution Wide Area Display (WAD) panoramic screens, the pilotsconcluded that receiving, fusing and presenting data in a single-screen system was a better solution than the previous one. The WAD is an intelligent system with a high-resolution widescreen (19 x 8 in), which allows displaying a continuous and redundant image in all its extension, and is capable of receiving multifunctional key inputs, touchscreen or external interfaces. It is the main source of all flight information and mission in the cockpit, enhancing the pilot tactical situational awareness.

"We are pleased that the choice of a specific display configuration by the Brazilian Air Force will equip also the Swedish Gripen E fighters, standardizing the two fleets with a state-of-the-art configuration that further honours this Saab-AEL partnership. Both the WAD and the other devices are unique and offer Gripen E/F pilots a situational awareness that did not exist in the past," says Sergio Horta, president of AEL Sistemas.

Besides the WAD, AEL will also provide the Swedish Gripen E fighters with the Head-Up Display (HUD) – a wide field-of-view head-up display, provides essential flight and mission information to the pilot when looking ‘heads up’ out of the cockpit – and the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) – a helmet that allows the pilot to view data and images of real and virtual targets, adding features that increase the pilot’s situational awareness and judgment capabilities.

This is another exceptional result of the technology transfer program. In one way, Saab brings expertise in the development and construction of fighters and complex systems, sharing this knowledge with the Brazilian industry. On the other way, AEL has developed unique and robust systems that benefit both the Brazilian and Swedish Air Forces.

"This is a very important step in development and innovation for the Gripen E/F fighter globally. Exporting this type of complex and unique equipment is a result of an effective cooperation between Brazil and Sweden, and it is a great moment in industrial cooperation in the Gripen programme worldwide," says Mikael Franzén, Director & Head of Business Unit Gripen Brazil, Saab Aeronautics.

The Brazilian company now becomes part of the Gripen global production chain. All future Gripen E/F orders will have the three displays (WAD, HUD and HMD) developed by AEL Sistemas as a standard offer.

AEL in the Gripen Program

AEL Sistemas became a partner in the development of Gripen E/F fighters for the Brazilian Air Force, in February 2015. Its scope is to develop and provide Wide Area Displays (WAD), Head-Up Displays (HUD) and Helmet Mounted Displays (HMD). At the time, a contract was also signed between companies for the transfer of technology.

AEL designed three prototype models of its WAD units. They have all been developed in Brazil and were delivered in 2015, 2016 and 2018, respectively. In May 2016 the company announced the delivery of the Human Machine Interface (HMI) application for the WAD, a preliminary software release that demonstrates Saab's HMI concepts for future WADs.

There is an intense ongoing transfer of technology to AEL. The company has acquired important skills that allow them to be at the forefront of panoramic display technology. New technologies are being added in the development of HMI for advanced fighter jets, along with the ability to carry out avionics maintenance.

About AEL Sistemas

AEL Sistemas is a Brazilian company, located in Porto Alegre, which for 35 years has been dedicated to the design, development, manufacture, maintenance and logistic support of advanced electronic systems, focusing on the aerospace, defense and public safety markets. The company is able to supply, design and develop avionics, optronics, communication systems, spatial systems, ARPs and simulators. AEL participates in strategic projects of the Brazilian Armed Forces, such as the Gripen, KC-390, Guarani and SISFRON. Through advanced technologies and knowledge, modern infrastructure and systematic training, AEL produces state-of-the-art, reliable and innovative solutions, and the quality of its products and services is internationally recognized.

About SAAB

SAAB serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defense and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.