Brazil says negotiating for French fighter jets

Associated Press ^ | Sep. 7, 2009

[sukhoi-30mki]

Brazil says negotiating for French fighter jets

Associated Press|Sep. 7, 2009, 12:52 PM|

PrintBRASILIA (AP) — Brazil's president says his country is negotiating with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters.

An announcement released by the office of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says negotiations have begun with Dassault SA because France has offered to transfer technology as well as selling the jets.

Sweden's Saab AB and Boeing Co. of the U.S. also have been competing for the Brazilian contract, which is expected to be worth about $2.2 to $2.5 billion.

The announcement comes as French President Nicolas Sarkozy....

[Clemenza]

Ping!

[John123]

Now why does Brazil need fighter jets? Chavez?

[FormerACLUmember]

Chavez is driving up South American military budgets continent-wide.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Why should the money be heading to Paris? Can’t we sell jets to South America? Brazil needs to protect themselves like everyone else. We should be getting the contracts from Brazil not France! What happened to good old American salesmanship?

[cardinal4]

Hmmm. They should just buy one, and turn it over to Embraer..

[Concho]

Union Labor pushed the prices of our jets over the top. They can buy the French jets sooooo much cheaper.

[tanknetter]

Why should the money be heading to Paris? Can’t we sell jets to South America? Brazil needs to protect themselves like everyone else. We should be getting the contracts from Brazil not France! What happened to good old American salesmanship?

There's been some speculation about whether these are Air Force-style Rafales, or the Rafale-M, which is a carrier aircraft.

Brazil owns/operates the former French aircraft carrier Foch as the Sao Paulo. As Foch, she was the trials ship for the navalized Rafale. There's some doubt as to whether the US's F/A-18E/F can operate from that small of a deck, while there's no doubt that a Rafale can.

[luckybogey]

... Boeing’s executive vice-president, Jim Albaugh, likewise stressed to journalists last week in Sao Paulo that the US Congress was being asked to allow an “unprecedented” level of technology-sharing with Brazil around the F/A-18.

At stake is not only the right to supply Brazil with 36 modern fighters to replace its 12 outdated French Mirage jets from 2014 — but also a chance to carry a winner’s glow into a much bigger, 10-billion-dollar tender India has underway to buy 126 fighters.

The chosen aircraft will be the spearpoint of Brazil’s air force for the next three decades.

Brazil, which struck a deal last year to buy four French submarines and co-develop a nuclear sub, is seeking the military clout to match its growing economic power and regional political ambitions.

http://luckybogey.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/brazil%E2%80%99s-time-is-now-petro-fields-nuclear-padlocks-and-a-yellow-submarine/

[dusttoyou]

France has offered to transfer technology as well as selling the jets. Not unusual we won’t. Yes they will make their own sounds like.

Am confused by the 36 aircraft @ $2.5 billion, that’s almost $70 mil per plane. For a civy, this sounds pretty high, wonder what F22’s go for.

Another post asked why Brazil wanted fighters, they really don’t like nor trust Chevas as far as they can throw him.

[agere_contra]

The Rafaele is ludicrously expensive per unit, and I can see there was no change for this deal.

Technology transfer was the only way to make this fly.

[Oztrich Boy]

Brazil owns/operates the former French aircraft carrier Foch as the Sao Paulo. As Foch, she was the trials ship for the navalized Rafale. There's some doubt as to whether the US's F/A-18E/F can operate from that small of a deck, while there's no doubt that a Rafale can.

Actually there is. During the trials the Rafale was restricted to 36,000lb takeoff weight. That's 8 tonnes below MTO.

My guess is if the money is available most likely they will buy surplus Super Étendards from France.

Less likely asking the US to check Davis-Monthan for Skyhawks or Corsiar IIs

Outside chance: Embraer navalizes the AMX