Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Solar Energy News .




AEROSPACE
Brazil fighter deal seen to favor Boeing
by Staff Writers
Sao Paulo (UPI) Dec 12, 2012


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Brazil's long-delayed FX-2 fighter competition isn't over yet but Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet is winning friends in the Brazilian air force, news reports said.

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-based, multi-role fighter aircraft based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.

Boeing has been building partnerships in Brazil along Hornet's complex and sophisticated supply chain, which are also part of the U.S. company's wider strategy to expand customer base in the region, irrespective of whether it wins the fighter deal.

Boeing's Super Hornet is in competition with French Dassault Aviation's Rafale and Swedish company Saab's Gripen multirole fighters.

Brazil has indicated its air force will need at least 36 jets to replace Mirage and other aircraft. The deal's total value is far from clear and figures discussed by government officials and defense industry media range $4.3 billion-$8.2 billion, depending on Brazil's final choice.

Speculation on Boeing gaining ground on its European rivals centers on the Super Hornet's advanced and widely tested combat capabilities.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is likely to reveal her preference this month or early in 2013. Once her decision is known, the procurement process will transfer to Brazilian congress, defense ministry and air force officials.

Boeing backers say the Super Hornet has combat experience and is far cheaper to run than the French Rafale. France deployed Rafale in NATO operations in Libya in 2011 as part of an effort to make the jet's performance better known to procurement agencies worldwide.

Dassault has struggled to market Rafale and is following up progress on an Indian purchase with marketing campaigns in the Middle East and East Asia.

Brazil's Istoe news magazine published a document purporting to have originated in the Brazilian government commission evaluating the three fighter jets.

The reported document stated Brazilian senior officials said in their assessment the Boeing F/A-18 is best suited to the country's air force and cited several of its advantages in terms of price and benefits.

The least costly of the three jets in the FX-2 competition is the Gripen, which reportedly offered Brazil all 36 units for $4.3 billion.

Critics of the Swedish jet say they see the Gripen as an aircraft still in development.

A Rafale purchase is likely to be the most expensive of the three and could cost Brazil $8.2 billion, while the Boeing is reported to have offered its F-18s at $5.4 billion, the reports said.

Neither the figures nor the details of the assessment have been discussed by Brazilian officials, who have said they want fuel efficiency and maximum access to technology applied by the manufacturer.

U.S. President Barack Obama pushed for Boeing when he visited Brazil last year.

Four Brazilian companies have become potential global supply chain members for Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, which is being offered to the country.

GE Aviation, Boeing's partner in the Super Hornet program, said Memorandums of Understanding were signed with Grauna Aerospace S.A., Increase Aviation Service Ltda., TAP Maintenance and Engineering and AKAER.

The documents, which outline the potential for GE Aviation to develop programs with the firms, include provisions for the transfer of technology. Other provisions cover training in engine assembly and maintenance, engine inspection and engine testing.

Boeing has actively entered a market dominated by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, which seeks to unseat U.S. and other aircraft manufacturers with its own competitively priced executive jets, light attack aircraft and a planned tactical transport plane to capture the C-130 Hercules market.

The rival bidders have spent huge sums on marketing pitches in Brazil. Promotion costs are said to be running into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

.


Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








AEROSPACE
Canada reconsidering F-35 fighter purchase: reports
Ottawa (AFP) Dec 7, 2012
Canada's government faced a storm of criticism Friday after a newspaper reported it was scrapping plans to buy US-made F-35 fighter aircraft because of rising costs. The National Post said a key cabinet committee reached the decision Tuesday after reviewing a soon-to-be-released audit by KPMG that concluded the lifetime cost of the program now exceeds $30 billion, nearly double the original ... read more


AEROSPACE
Plastic packaging industry is moving towards completely bio-based products

Gases from Grasses

Garbage bug may help lower the cost of biofuel

Tiny algae shed light on photosynthesis as a dynamic property

AEROSPACE
Custom robots could do Fukushima cleanup

Swimming robot crosses Pacific Ocean

Squirrels and Birds Inspire Researchers to Create Deceptive Robots

Engineering professor looks to whirligig beetle for bio inspired robots

AEROSPACE
Ground broken on Irish Midlands wind farm

GE, MetLife and Union Bank Invest in Kansas Wind Farm

Wind speeds in southern New England declining inland, remaining steady on coast

Brazil advances wind power development

AEROSPACE
Chinese firm to build electric cars in Bulgaria: report

Philippines gives green-light to electric tricycles

Apple Maps glitch could be deadly: Australian police

Japanese car sales in China rocket 72% in November

AEROSPACE
BHP Billiton sells stake in Australian LNG

China's accelerating overseas buys raise fears

Wind, solar power paired with storage could be cost-effective way to power grid

Danish PM refuses to block Greenland mining law

AEROSPACE
The ATMEA1 reactor introduced to the Brazilian market

Japan may scrap nuclear plant over seismic fault

Swedish nuclear reactor stopped over safety concerns

No nuclear problems reported after Japan quake: IAEA

AEROSPACE
Renewables Provide 46 percent All New US Electrical Generating Capacity in 2012

OpenADR Continues to Move the Smart Grid Forward

California's Energy Future: Buildings and Industrial Efficiency

US Power Grid Vulnerable to Just About Everything

AEROSPACE
As Amazon urbanizes, rural fires burn unchecked

Global drive in support of Brazil's threatened Awa tribe

World's biggest, oldest trees are dying: research

'Come out of the forest' to save the trees




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. 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 Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement