Brazil continues FX-2 competition, backtracks on Rafale 'selection'

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Brazil continues FX-2 competition, backtracks on Rafale 'selection'

Brazil is continuing to negotiate with all three bidders for a multi-billion dollar fighter contract despite an announcement on 7 September by the presidents of Brazil and France that the Dassault Rafale F3 had been selected.

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Saab Gripen NG could be still allowed to "redefine" their offers for the FX-2 contract, Brazilian defence minister Nelson Jobim said in a written clarification released late on 8 September.

Jobim's statement noted that the French government had committed to deliver the Rafale "at competitive and reasonable prices, comparable to those paid by the French military".

The statement could prompt Dassault's rivals to resubmit their bids at a lower price to stay competitive with the Rafale proposal. But Saab and Boeing were still waiting to learn details about the Brazilian government's position on the negotiations with the Rafale.

"We have not been notified by the FX-2 commission nor anyone in the Brazilian government of any decision," Boeing says. "We will continue to work with Brazil on all aspects of the FX-2 competition pending formal notice of a final decision."

Jobim's statement contradicted remarks by presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nicolas Sarkozy of France on 7 September, Brazil's independence holiday. Both Sarkozy and da Silva declared that the Rafale was Brazil's preferred choice, with da Silva praising the French government's openness about transferring technology, in particular.

Brazil continues FX-2 competition, backtracks on Rafale 'selection'

 

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Brazil's F-X2 contest prompts further dispute

A São Paulo-based body that represents almost 60% of Brazil's aerospace and defence companies has issued a scathing attack on the government's open support for the Dassault Rafale in its F-X2 fighter contest.

In a public letter, the board of the CIESP organisation says it "is concerned with the conclusion of this [selection] process in which the meticulous, professional and serious work developed by the air force may be cast aside". The service's recommendations should "be abided and respected by the federal government", it adds.

The statement comes after local media reports early this month claimed that Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defence minister Nelson Jobim had made a final choice after meeting Dassault and French government representatives on 30 January.

The defence ministry denies the claim, and says it is still analysing "the political, strategic and financial aspects" of the Rafale offer, plus bids based on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Saab Gripen NG.
Declaring that "the French fighter, if chosen, represents a defeat", the CIESP has released unconfirmed details on the bids.

Including maintenance costs, these total $10.2 billion for the Rafale, $7.7 billion for the Super Hornet and $6 billion for the Gripen NG, it claims. At just 2,500 positions, the Dassault-led proposal would also provide the smallest number of new jobs, while forging yet-closer defence industrial links with Paris would be "a grievous error for a country that wishes to assure its sovereignty", it alleges.

Boeing manager of international business development Michael Coggins says: "The right solution for Brazil's F-X2 programme must be affordable, while guaranteeing air force supremacy in the region, national autonomy, and aerospace industrial development opportunities. Boeing believes the best way to achieve that solution is with the selection of the Super Hornet."

Brazil's F-X2 contest prompts further dispute