French Rafale Jet Wins Brazilian Order

Mon Sep 7, 2009 12:10pm EDT

BRASILIA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva authorized final negotiations to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets made by France's Dassault Aviation a Brazilian presidential source said on Monday.

The announcement coincides with a visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who participated in Brazil's Independence Day celebrations on Monday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0416399320090907

Pending the final announcement by Brazil, it pretty much looks like the Rafale has finally found its first export customer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8242751.stm (BBC)

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2009/09/07/01011-20090907FILWWW00539-le-bresil-negocie-l-achat-de-36-rafale.php

France has agreed to buy and help develop a dozen brazilian made transport aircrafts KC 190 as part of the deal.

 

Time the French won an export order for this jet.

Good on them.

 

They could be getting another from us with the opposition to the F136 engine for the F-35. Linky.

 

If the contract goes through as it now seems extremly likely, there are other competitions for the Rafale:

-Switzerland (about 25 a/c)
-India (126)
-Libya (16)
-UAE (60)

The overal needs for Brazil are estimated at more than a 100 when the F-5 will need replacement.

Some are even hoping that a dozen Rafale F1 of the French Navy, a pure air superiority fighter which has been superseded by the Rafale F2 and soon F3 could be flogged to the Brazilian Navy since they are capable of operating from the former Foch carrier sold by France to Brazil a few years ago....

All but 6 of the Brazilian Rafale will be built locally.

 

Aah, that would be the Embraer Rafale...........

French technology built in Brazil.........

Odo

 

The Rafale is "only" part of the strategic deal between France and Brazil; Brazil will also build locally 50 EC 725 helicopters and 5 Scorpene type submarines.

Other deals with France have been mentioned such as FREMM frigates....

A view on the Rafale deal:

A Real Win For Rafale
Posted by Robert Wall at 9/8/2009 1:57 AM CDT

There will be some that say Brazil only is buying the 36 Dassault Rafale strike fighters because of France’s agreement to help develop and maybe buy ten KC-390 airlifters, or transfer extensive nuclear submarine technology, or whatever other reasons, but reality is that, for once, the French sales team orchestrated the campaign rather flawlessly.

It is, without doubt, a huge win for Rafale. Not only is Brazil the first export customer for Rafale, it is a sizeable order and it came in a real competition. Libya and the United Arab Emirates – other countries that are looking at the aircraft – would execute the purchase as a sole source deal.

What’s more, it’s a big win for the French government, which several years ago saw its success in export sales fall. Having a good relationship with Paris was increasingly less important in the global political environment, so defense exports were slipping. The government launched a massive effort to become more supportive of industry. And, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been aggressive – some may say shameless – in acting as the chief salesman for the country’s aerospace and defense industry.

For France, the Rafale export is not just important as a matter of prestige and influence, but also because Paris once to reduce the rate at which it is taking the fighters because of budget pressures. With exports, it can do so without Dassault being forced below the Rafale production line's minimum sustainment rate.

I just got back from Brazil and one thing all industry officials there were talking about was how professionally they felt the competition was being run. The F-X2 deal was announced a bit later than first planned – to coincide with Brazil’s independent day which Sarkozy attended (Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in Paris for July 14 this year), but overall, both schedule and process were executed to plan. That, too, speaks for Rafale having won as fair-and-square as any of these deals are ever won.

The French win is a setback for Saab’s Gripen and Boeing’s F/A-18E/F, although for some time it seemed the French were ahead. The single-engined Gripen might not have appealed to a country with the vast Amazonian region, and Washington, right now, does not appear to have worked the relationship with Brasilia as well as Paris did.

In announcing the deal, Brazil’s president Lula said that “it is the consolidation of a strategic partnership.”

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a12f217c9-c6a9-4e24-b2b6-d26f53d4ad29

 

Hang on, well done to the French and all that, but I thought Mr. Mandelson - The Lord High Everything had Brazil sewn up so to speak. Well, with his Brazilian connections and his Lord High Trade 'Wallah' appointment. I bet he is very cross. Perhaps we don't make aeroplanes anymore? I don't know, ever since Bliar arrived I've not had a clue what is going on in this country!

 

First ever Rafale sale, well done.

However there's no way you Frogs are getting the Libya sale. No chance mon ami!

 

Now you know full well the role of Mandleson-as dictated by Brussles,with ample reward for him(mortgages in Notting Hill don't come cheap) is to de-industrialise Britain and facilitate the transfer of all the unwanted illegal immigrants elsewhere in the EUSSR to Britain.

 

The Libya deal is a sole-source thingy so far....we'll see what happens.

As for Brazil, the competition is now closed with the Rafale being the winner but another six to nine months of negociations are expected.

The first batch of 36 could be followed by two other batches of 36 for a total of 108 Rafale.

The current deal for 36 Rafale is estimated at 5 Bn euros.

 

And in ten years time like everyother big bucks arms deal, we will find out what the sweetner was?

 

The sweetners were

1) Technology transfer

2) Purchase by the French Air Force of 12 KC-390 TTA

3) Possibility for Embraer to produce the Rafale locally and to market it in the region

Three things the US and the US/Swedes (the Gripen being at least 50% US made) were unwilling or/and unable to do.