Sweden's Gripen Fleet Gets an Engine Upgrade — Keeping NATO's Budget Fighter Lethal into the 2030s

Fresh details are pushing this story further into focus. Sweden has received the first production-standard upgraded engine for its frontline Gripen fleet, a milestone that extends the combat life of the NATO member's primary multirole fighter well into the next decade. GKN Aerospace, the UK-based aviation engineering giant, delivered the first RM12EP — Enhanced Performance — turbofan engine for the Swedish Air Force's Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D aircraft this month. The upgraded powerplant features improved turbine hardware and updated control software, delivering greater thrust, extended operating hours, and reduced long-term maintenance costs. The Swedish Air Force operates 100 Gripen C/D aircraft, with the oldest jets now more than 23 years old. Without the engine upgrade, the aircraft risked becoming obsolete before their planned retirement in the mid-to-late 2030s. Separately, Brazil confirmed this month that it has completed manufacturing of the first F-39E Gripen at Embraer's facility in São Paulo — the first Gripen assembled outside Sweden. The move is part of Brazil's broader push to develop domestic aerospace and defence industrial capacity in Latin America. The RM12EP program was initiated in 2019 and supported by a $42 million contract awarded to GKN Aerospace in October 2023 in cooperation with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Saab, and a senior military official. The picture now is one of rising pressure, wider consequences and very little room for error.