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Brazil May Delay Fighter Purchase: Minister
PARIS - The international economic crisis has pushed Brazil's plans to update its fighter jet fleet to the sidelines, Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim said here Oct. 18.
"The fundamental consideration at the moment is the financial and economic world situation," Amorim said. "Brazil's economy is growing at 4 percent, but we don't exactly know what the consequences of the financial crisis will be.
"We have to be prudent, but our defense needs can't be forgotten and a decision can't be put off indefinitely," Amorim told journalists after meeting his French counterpart, Gérard Longuet.
Amorim said it was urgent to renew Brazil's fighter fleet because the Mirage 2000 aircraft bought as a stopgap would be "very expensive" to maintain from 2013, Amorim said.
But urgency had to be weighed against "material means," he added.
Brazil's previous president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had been keen to buy the Dassault Rafale, but his term of office expired without a contract with France.
Amorim said he did not rule out a decision next year but refused to be pinned down. Asked if a purchase could be envisaged next year, he said, "I don't exclude it. Do we envisage it? That's another question."
Longuet said France would go ahead with buying around 12 Embraer KC390 tactical transport aircraft as part of a sale of the Rafale.
"It's perfectly acceptable," Longuet said. "There's absolutely no objection in principle. The KC390 is part of the counterparty we can reasonably envisage."
Asked about Brazil's plans to buy new frigates and a fleet auxiliary tanker, Longuet replied, "I said, 'We have an excellent product.' My colleague replied, 'We have an excellent procedure for international competition,' and nothing prevented us from being a candidate in the bidding."
France hopes to sell its FREMM multimission frigate and an auxiliary ship, competing against Britain and other nations for the naval deal.
Amorim said Brazil would have to start thinking about building a new aircraft carrier to replace the French-built Foch, renamed the Sao Paulo. This would require imported technology and take decades, he said.
On the Rafale, Longuet said Oct. 17 on French TV news channel LCI that France was in advanced talks with the United Arab Emirates on the sale of 60 of the warplanes.
"We are in final discussions," Longuet said. It was "extremely probable" an export deal could be signed, he said.
Brazil May Delay Fighter Purchase: Minister - Defense News
PARIS - The international economic crisis has pushed Brazil's plans to update its fighter jet fleet to the sidelines, Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim said here Oct. 18.
"The fundamental consideration at the moment is the financial and economic world situation," Amorim said. "Brazil's economy is growing at 4 percent, but we don't exactly know what the consequences of the financial crisis will be.
"We have to be prudent, but our defense needs can't be forgotten and a decision can't be put off indefinitely," Amorim told journalists after meeting his French counterpart, Gérard Longuet.
Amorim said it was urgent to renew Brazil's fighter fleet because the Mirage 2000 aircraft bought as a stopgap would be "very expensive" to maintain from 2013, Amorim said.
But urgency had to be weighed against "material means," he added.
Brazil's previous president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had been keen to buy the Dassault Rafale, but his term of office expired without a contract with France.
Amorim said he did not rule out a decision next year but refused to be pinned down. Asked if a purchase could be envisaged next year, he said, "I don't exclude it. Do we envisage it? That's another question."
Longuet said France would go ahead with buying around 12 Embraer KC390 tactical transport aircraft as part of a sale of the Rafale.
"It's perfectly acceptable," Longuet said. "There's absolutely no objection in principle. The KC390 is part of the counterparty we can reasonably envisage."
Asked about Brazil's plans to buy new frigates and a fleet auxiliary tanker, Longuet replied, "I said, 'We have an excellent product.' My colleague replied, 'We have an excellent procedure for international competition,' and nothing prevented us from being a candidate in the bidding."
France hopes to sell its FREMM multimission frigate and an auxiliary ship, competing against Britain and other nations for the naval deal.
Amorim said Brazil would have to start thinking about building a new aircraft carrier to replace the French-built Foch, renamed the Sao Paulo. This would require imported technology and take decades, he said.
On the Rafale, Longuet said Oct. 17 on French TV news channel LCI that France was in advanced talks with the United Arab Emirates on the sale of 60 of the warplanes.
"We are in final discussions," Longuet said. It was "extremely probable" an export deal could be signed, he said.
Brazil May Delay Fighter Purchase: Minister - Defense News
