10078 [FAB] New Version of Air Force Report Pleases [President]- defense-aerospacce.com
NOTICIARIONAVAL
(Source: O Estado de Sao Paulo; published Jan. 8, 2010)
(Published in Portuguese; unofficial translation by defense-
aerospacce.com)
The final report of the [Brazilian] Air Force Command on the FX-2
program, which involves the purchase of 36 fighters in a deal
estimated to be worth over 10 billion Brazilian reals, has satisfied
the Presidential Palace. The document indicates that the Rafale
aircraft made by the French company Dassault, and the F-18 Super
Hornet made by Boeing, have technical and military capabilities that
rank them above the Swedish Saab Gripen NG.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed the delivery of the final evaluation
report, which comprises 390 pages. A close aide to President Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva has also had access to the document.
The contents of the new report - modified under government pressure,
and which now states the French Rafale as the best competitor -
contrast with the previous version, in which the Air Force ranked the
Gripen NG on top of the list.
Rafale, which is the favorite of Lula and Minister of Defense Nelson
Jobim, was ranked in third place by the Air Force, due to its higher
costs. The publication of the conclusions by the Folha de Sao Paulo
earlier [last] week angered the Presidency, which considered it as an
attempt by the Air Force to force through its own choice in the final
round, and which was described by government officials harmful to
"national security".
"I do not think it’s good to leak to the public a report from Defense.
It affects national security. It may not cause problems today, but
they may become more visible in the future," said the Lula aide, who
had access to the report’s final version.
The new document does not rank the three finalists, as did the
previous one. But it details the advantages of the Rafale and F-18
Super Hornet fighters as facts, since these aircraft are in
production, tested and have two engines. The Gripen NG must be
developed and is single-engined.
Parliamentarians that are following the competition to renew the Air
Force’s fleet of combat aircraft consider that the new report unveils
hidden in-fighting between the Air Force and the Presidency.
Even if the final report were to point the Rafale as the perfect
choice, successive attempts by the Air Force to force the government
to back down from its pro-Rafale position were noted by the
Presidential Palace, and should result in reprisals.
In October, the Air Force’s top command briefed members of
Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense on
the reasons why it considered the Gripen NG more appropriate. The Air
Force commander, Brigadier Junit Saito, claimed to a lawmaker that the
fact that the Swedish aircraft is still under development would
increase the chance of absorption of technology by Embraer. In
addition, Saito stressed the advantages of the Gripen NG over its
competitors in terms of cost and maintenance.
The final straw, however, was the leak of the initial, pro-Gripen
draft of the report, just as the new version was about to be
completed.