High-stakes final phase for Brazil jet fighter tender

Cash-strapped Greece drops tanks, planes from national parade
Athens (AFP) March 24, 2010 - Cash-strapped Greece will stage a scaled-back Independence Day parade on Thursday minus tanks, planes and missiles in a bid to cut costs, the defence ministry said The display of military firepower including tanks, warplanes and self-propelled missile systems has been a standard feature of the parades for nearly four decades but the decision to eliminate the weapons will save an estimated two million euros (2.7 million dollars), a ministry source told AFP. The traditional dispatch of Navy vessels to important Greek islands will also be scaled back, said the official who declined to be named. "The parade costs around a million euros in Athens alone and two million euros nationwide. Not to mention the pollution from the emissions of heavy vehicles, planes and war vessels," he said.

The source added: "This is the first time this has happened since the military dictatorship period (1967-1974)." No figure was given on the remaining parade cost. Greece is labouring to balance its state budget which last year ended up over 30 billion euros in the red. It also has to cut a debt mountain of nearly 300 billion euros that landed the country in trouble with the European Union. "Obviously there are cost considerations at stake -- each warplane overflight costs 35,000 euros," the defence ministry source said. The annual March 25 parade commemorates the Greek uprising in 1821 to end nearly four centuries of Ottoman Empire rule. The ensuing Greek war of independence lasted eight years and was ultimately won with the armed intervention of Britain, France and Russia.

by Staff Writers
Brasilia (AFP) March 24, 2010
A multi-billion-dollar deal to supply Brazil with sophisticated fighter jets was in its high-stakes final phase Wednesday, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva under intense pressure ahead of his decision.

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors called on Lula in Brasilia to make an ultimate push for Swedish aircraft to win out over French and US rivals in the tender.

Brazilian officials say the contest should be decided by the end of next week.

Lula has already expressed a strong preference for France's Rafale jet in the competition.

But he said after his meeting with the Swedish monarch that "the final reports have not reached me" and he could only make his decision once Brazil's defense council had convened to give its recommendation.

The Brazilian president has already asserted that he would have the final word, and that his choice would be based on political considerations more than the technical merits of each aircraft.

"We want technology to build the aircraft in Brazil, and for Brazil to be an exporter of these jets," he said.

That priority has appeared to sideline the US jet in the running, the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by Boeing. The Brazilian government has emphasized instances in the past when the US Congress has blocked Brazil from acquiring or exporting US technology.

The other two aircraft competing are the Rafale, an ultra-modern semi-stealth omnirole fighter made by France's Dassault group, and Sweden's versatile and easily maintained NG Gripen by Saab.

Brazil is looking to initially buy 36 new fighters, with an option to add nearly 100 more in the future.

The value of the deal has not been stated, but Brazilian media estimates range from four billion to 10 billion dollars.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has put his prestige fully behind the Rafale, issuing a joint statement with Lula last September saying Brazil was already in exclusive negotiations to buy the jet.

But in the teeth of opposition from Brazil's air force, which is plumping for the much cheaper Gripen, Lula has had to backtrack and say the tender was still wide open.

His minister for strategic affairs, Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes, wrote in the latest issue of a French defense journal that acquiring the Rafale would begin a "beautiful adventure."

A technology-sharing deal would greatly advance Brazil scientific and trade prowess, he wrote, while the two-engine Rafale was suited to patrolling Brazil's vast territory.

The head of Saab, Aake Svensson, told the Swedish news agency TT in Brasilia that Lula's decision to base the selection on political aspects made it "very difficult to predict the outcome."

He said that the Gripen had come out on top in the Brazilian air force's price and technical evaluation, but that might not be enough to secure the deal.

If Brazil does go with the Rafale, it will be the first sale of the jet outside France.

French officials hope a Brazilian success could boost the Rafale's chances in other tenders, including in India and Kuwait. Unconfirmed reports have suggested Dassault significantly cut its asking price to overcome reservations in Brazil.

Kuwaiti lawmakers have been watching the negotiations keenly, and on the weekend an Islamist bloc in Kuwait's parliament warned its government against a planned purchase of Rafales, deeming the deal "suspicious."

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Romania to purchase secondhand F-16s
Bucharest, Romania (UPI) Mar 24, 2009
Romania plans to buy several secondhand F-16 fighter jets to upgrade its air force. The country's Supreme Defense Council, or CSAT, said Tuesday the Defense Ministry had decided to purchase 24 secondhand F-16 jets. "Since Romania does not have the necessary financial resources to buy new multirole aircraft, the CSAT has approved the defense ministry's proposal to purchase 24 seco ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement