Monday, May 27, 2013

Brazil's FX-2 Fighter Contest is far from over. SAAB updates its Gripen offer.


via UPI.com
Saab is one of the three leading contenders for Brazil's jet fighter replacement program FX-2, the other two contenders being Boeing and France's Dassault.

According to the report, Saab aims to compete successfully for a role not just in the Brazilian air force, but also in the Brazilian Navy and hence it is seriously concentrating on its Sea Gripen project. Commander Romulo Sobral recently flew the Gripen D to test if it has flight qualities compatible with the flying qualities desirable for naval aircraft based on aircraft carriers.
Brazil's FX-2 jet fighter acquisition program coincides with a vigorous campaign by the government and local defense industry to develop indigenous aviation industry.
SAAB is hungry.

SAAB is borderline desperate...lets call it extremely determined to sell its airplanes.  Honestly I wonder how SAAB can be denied.  If its a price war then they're going to win going away.  If its a tech battle then the SAAB at the very least matches what the other two planes offer.

Is it all about production offsets? If it is then I don't know who will win.  From my reading almost all the corporations involved with give Rio a slice of the pie.  I guess it'll come down to "best value considerations"....and that type criteria is always hard to determine ahead of time.