Brasil på jakt etter nytt jagerfly

Brazilian Air Force Pushes For Deferred New Fighter

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE » AUGUST 16, 2013

by  REUBEN JOHNSON

Aging Northrop F-5s will be the frontline fighter in the Brazilian Air Force after it grounds its Mirage 2000s at the end of the year. (Photo: Embraer)

August 16, 2013, 11:10 AM

Brazil’s Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) plans to retire its fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters at the end of this year. The announcement has brought new focus on Brazil’s longstanding but deferred FX-2 new fighter requirement. In testimony to the Brazilian Senate on August 13, FAB Commander Lt. Gen. Juniti Saito defended the need for new fighters to maintain an adequate air defense, as well as for the benefits any purchase would bring to Brazil’s own aerospace sector.

The Mirages, acquired used from France in 2006, were intended to be flown only until 2011 as an interim solution until a new fighter could be procured. Their grounding will leave the FAB with 45 vintage Northrop F-5s as the most modern jet fighters in its inventory. At any one time, nearly 40 percent of the FAB’s 700-plus fleet of aircraft is grounded due to either wear and tear associated with aging airframes or problems created by the extreme climatic conditions of tropical Brazil.

After riotous demonstrations last June in the streets of Brazilian cities protesting government spending on the upcoming 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, the assumption was that the FX-2 program would be deferred further. For several years, the three bidding finalists have been Boeing with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; France with the Dassault Rafale; and Sweden with the Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen. While the Gripen has been widely seen as offering some of the most interesting technology transfer capabilities, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet would allow Brazil’s Embraer to plug into the entirety of Boeing’s worldwide network. Several sources who spoke to AINin the last months stated that this had boosted the chances for the U.S. fighter to capture the deal