Brazil to make fighter jet decision by end of March: general

US, LatAm must reduce mutual mistrust: Brazil defense chief
Washington (AFP) Feb 23, 2010 - Brazil's defense minister Nelson Jobim urged the United States and Latin America Tuesday to set aside years of mutual "mistrust" and find ways to work together. Jobim told reporters here that he made the plea to his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, during meetings at the Pentagon. "What I said was that it's necessary gradually for the United States and South America to come together," Jobim said. "We have to generate ways little by little to create confidence." He made his remarks as Latin American and Caribbean leaders meeting in Cancun, Mexico agreed to create a new alliance, without the two English-speaking regional heavyweights -- the United States and Canada.

The new grouping was expected to serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), which includes the North American neighbors and has been the main forum for regional affairs in the past half-century. It was a move away from the traditional influence of the United States in the region, and was promoted by regional heavyweights Brazil and Mexico as US-Latin relations reached their lowest point in recent memory. Gates is due to travel to Brazil in April, said Jobim, who also met with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. The Brazilian defense boss added that Brasilia expects to name by the end of March the winner of a multi-billion-dollar contract to supply its air force with modern jet fighter planes. Brazil is weighing three bids: from France's Rafale, seen as the frontrunner, from Sweden's Saab and from the US group Boeing. France is seen as having the edge to supply the three dozen fighter jets because it has offered to export the technology used in building the planes. In contrast, the United States has only agreed to supply Brazil with "relevant" information and "necessary" technology, according to Jobim.

by Staff Writers
Brasilia (AFP) Feb 23, 2010
Brazil will likely designate the winner of a multi-billion-dollar tender to supply its air force with modern jet fighters by the end of March, the head of the service, General Juniti Saito, said Tuesday.

Saito stressed that it would be a "political and strategic decision" made by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, following the air force's technical evaluation of the three bids.

France's Rafale, an omnirole fighter made by Dassault, is seen as the leading contender after Lula and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said last September that negotiations were underway for Brazil to buy 36 of them.

Lula said his preference for the French jet derived from France's offer to give Brazil all the technology involved in the Rafale's construction -- a key point for Brazil, which wants the knowhow to one day make its own modern fighters.

But the air force, through leaks in the Brazilian media, has indicated it prefers the much cheaper Gripen NG jet from Sweden's Saab.

The third option, the F/A-18 Super Hornet from US group Boeing, is seen as with only an outside chance because of US refusal in the past to allow Brazil to export aircraft using US technology.

Early this month, the Brazilian government denied it had made a final decision to buy the Rafales, and said a newspaper report that Dassault had lopped two billion dollars off their total price to secure the contract was baseless.

The daily, Folha de S. Paulo, published an unsourced report saying France was willing to sell the Rafales for a discounted 6.2 billion dollars -- down from 8.2 billion dollars -- plus another four billion dollars in maintenance over the next three decades.

The Gripen was priced at 4.5 billion dollars plus 1.5 billion dollars in maintenance, while the F/A-18s were valued at 5.7 billion plus 1.9 billion in maintenance.

France is keen to make Brazil the first export customer of its Rafale, after losing out in several other tenders around the world.

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