Brazil surprises and hands Sweden Gripens the contract for 36 new fighters

Thursday, December 19th 2013 - 06:06 UTC

Full article 27 comments

“Performance, transfer of technology and costs were taken into account”, said Defense minister Amorim (L)

Sweden's Saab AB prevailed over U.S. giant Boeing and French manufacturer Dassault Aviation in a competition to supply the Brazilian air force with 36 aircraft to replace its aging Mirage 2000s, Brazil said Wednesday.

Brasilia agreed to pay 4.5 billion for 36 Gripen NG jet fighters, marking the end of a process that has unfolded in fits and starts since 2001 under three different presidents.

Dassault wanted 8 billion for 36 units of its Rafale fighter, while Boeing was asking 7.5 billion for three-dozen F/A-18 Super Hornets, the Brazilian government said in a statement.

The decision for the Gripen “took into account performance, the effective transfer of technology and costs - not just of acquisition but of maintenance,” Defense Minister Celso Amorim told a press conference.

Besides offering the lowest price, Saab promised comprehensive technology sharing with Brazil.

Securing a transfer of the relevant technology has become a Brazilian priority in major defense procurement deals.

“The technology transfer will give us intellectual ownership of everything,” Brazil's air force chief, Brig. Gen. Juniti Saito, said at the press conference with Amorim.

Some components of the fighters will be built in Brazil, Saito said.

The choice of the Gripen caught many by surprise, as a number of Brazilian officials had signaled their preference for the Rafale even as the pilots who will eventually fly the new fighters wanted the F/A-18.

Categories: Investments, Politics, Brazil, International.

Tags: Brazil, Brig. Gen. Juniti Saito, Celso Amorim, Gripen NG, Rafale, Saab, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, Super Hornet, Sweden Gripen.

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reality check
Congratulations to the Swedes,

Who else flies these aircraft?
Dec 19th, 2013 - 06:25 am 0
zathras
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen, is a really well balanced 4th generation fighter aircraft. It is a much cheaper alternative to the Rafale, Typhoon or F-18. With some similarity to the F-16.
Significantly it was designed with significant low-or no-maintenance requirements and a very short refuel and re-arm time, so may perform multiple sorties in a day, limited simply by pilot fatigue.
Other operator include:
Czech Republic
Hungary
South Africa
Thailand
and we have a few for evaluation purpose.
Interestingly Switzerland eventually selected the Gripen even though the Typhoon & Rafale performed significantly better in live performance tests.
The significantly lower cost being the deal breaker.
Dec 19th, 2013 - 08:45 am 0
ChrisR
Nice, cheap, plane.

You get what you pay for, and I hope they work well for Brazil, I am sure they will.
Dec 19th, 2013 - 09:40 am 0

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