Appel d'offre FX2 brésilien

BRASILIA (Brésil), 9 sept 2009 (AFP)

L'ambassade des Etats-Unis au Brésil a affirmé mercredi comprendre que le gouvernement brésilien n'avait pas encore pris "de décision finale" pour la fourniture de 36 avions de chasse et dit être toujours en lice "dans des négociations ouvertes" .

2009 AFP

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Grâce au journal Les Echos d'hier ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]), on en sait désormais un peu plus sur le déroulement des négociations entre la France et le Brésil concernant le contrat Rafale, ainsi que sur les efforts de l'administration américaine en faveur du Boeing F-18, concurrent de l'avion français.
"Jusqu'au début de l'année 2009, le match à trois se résume à un duel franco-suédois. A partir de la mi-juillet, changement d'ambiance : Boeing et l'administration Obama déroulent le rouleau compresseur. Depuis son lieu de vacances, le président américain appelle Lula pour lui indiquer que les Etats-Unis iront loin en matière de transfert de technologie, et qu'il se porte garant du Congrès, dont l'accord est indispensable". Débute alors une "bataille d'influence" qui fait dire à un négociateur français : "Nous ne pensions pas que cela irait aussi loin dans la désinformation".
Le lundi 31 aout, Lula téléphone à Sarkozy pour lui faire connaître son choix en faveur du Rafale. Lorsque le président français arrive à Brasilia, le dimanche 6 aout, il fait le forcing pour arracher une déclaration publique à son homologue brésilien, qui souhaitait "tirer cela au clair le lendemain matin". C'est qu'entre-temps, Barack Obama a rappelé Lula pour lui confirmer que l'accord du Congrès était acquis.
Tard dans la soirée du dimanche, les principaux négociateurs (Du côté brésilien, notamment le ministre de la Défense et le chef d'état-major de l'armée de l'air. Du côté français, le chef d'état-major particulier du Président, son conseiller diplomatique, le patron de Dassault-Aviation) se retrouvent dans les salons de l' hotel Golden Tulip et parviennent à lever les derniers obstacles. A trois heures du matin, une lettre commune est rédigée. Réveillé, Nicolas Sarkozy donne son accord.

Brazil is expected to make an announcement about its initial 36-aircraft FX-2 fighter deal around late November, following an evaluation involving the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Dassault [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and Saab [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
Industry sources say a platform selection should be confirmed by Brazil's National Defence Council - chaired by president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva - following the delivery of a 26,000-page report compiled by the nation's air force and overseen by service chief Lt Brig Juniti Saito.
With a decision close at hand, Saab has mounted a final push to promote its Gripen NG, which it claims is the preferred candidate of both the Brazilian air force and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which will partner the selected company for local production of the chosen aircraft.

The Swedish company's efforts have also gained late support from the UK government, which has thrown its weight firmly behind the Gripen following the selection of Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems' [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] active electronically scanned array radar for the NG model.
The UK Trade & Investment body says British content in the Gripen NG currently stands at 20% by value, primarily thanks to the radar selection, and that the possible integration of additional equipment could increase this to around 25%.

The outcome of the FX-2 contest appeared to have already been determined on 7 September, when da Silva and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy held a joint press conference in which the Rafale was named as the preferred candidate.
However, the Brazilian defence ministry swiftly distanced itself from the claim, and invited a second round of best and final offers from all three bidding companies.

One industry source says Saab is fearful that political motives could see the Rafale win in Brazil, with a selection to further strengthen the nation's strategic relationship with France.
Da Silva's government has already inked deals worth around $12 billion to acquire French-supplied equipment including [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] EC725 helicopters and submarines.

Saab is promoting the Gripen NG's promised lower acquisition and operating costs over its twin-engine rivals, and has made significant pledges on industrial and technical partnership deals.
"Our sole intention is to share our technology," says a company official, who adds: "we can make a material difference to their industry."

Sweden's final offer includes an offset package worth 175% of the FX-2 contract's value, with this to include joint development activities on the Gripen NG. Saab's intention is to enable first production examples to roll off production lines in Brazil and Sweden simultaneously during 2014.
Its offer would also allow Embraer to lead future export campaigns in Latin America. Saab has already identified potential sales opportunities with Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.

Sweden will evaluate the KC-390 transport if Brazil picks the Gripen.

Additional benefit to Brazilian industry could come via a Saab proposal to pitch Embraer's EMB-314 Super Tucano turboprop trainer and developmental KC-390 tanker/transport to the Swedish air force. Stockholm needs to acquire replacements for its aged Saab 105s and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] C-130s within around the next decade, it notes.

DayAfter a écrit:Démentis sur les prix du Rafale...

Et notion, la plus intéressante, de coût de possession.

DayAfter a écrit:Sur Le Point.fr :

Dassault Aviation dément vendredi les informations selon lesquelles le Rafale aurait été proposé initialement à 98 millions d'euros pièce au Brésil.
Ce pays est censé acquérir 36 chasseurs et le principe du contrat de vente a été négocié entre les présidents Lula et Sarkozy lors d'un récent voyage.
L'avionneur, qui "n'a pas l'habitude de négocier ses ventes sur la place publique", ne valide pas non plus le prix de 50 millions d'euros qui, selon Libération, serait finalement proposé aux Brésiliens.
C'est le tarif généralement cité en cas d'acquisition d'unités par l'armée française, un tarif assez bas, car il prend en compte les coûts de développement qui ont été préfinancés par ailleurs.
Un client étranger, qui n'a pas participé à ces efforts de conception, paye donc le produit plus cher.

Cette polémique se développe alors que l'armée brésilienne n'a pas formellement tranché face aux offres concurrentes.

Le Gripen NG du Suédois Saab semble être moins cher, mais ce n'est pas la même classe d'avion.

Monomoteur et non pas bimoteur comme le Rafale, il n'offre pas la même sécurité et la même charge d'emport opérationnelle.

Les experts considèrent que le prix du F/A-18 Super Hornet de l'Américain Boeing est proche de celui du Rafale... à la parité euro/dollar près, qui n'est actuellement pas favorable à Dassault, loin s'en faut.

L'importance du coût de possession.......

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PORTO ALEGRE - O ministro da Defesa, Nelson Jobim, disse nesta terça-feira, 24, que a compra de caças pela Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) dificilmente será definida antes do final deste ano. Segundo ele, o governo brasileiro espera a conclusão de uma série de análises antes de bater o martelo. Faltam testes sobre a capacidade operacional dos aviões, sobre a capacidade industrial do País em absorver as tecnologias e sobre o preço das aeronáves. A previsão é de que elas fiquem prontas só em dezembro. Há ainda outras etapas, como a avaliação do Ministério da Defesa, da Presidência da República e do Conselho de Defesa Nacional.


A francesa Dassault, a americana Boeing e a sueca Saab concorrem pela preferência do governo brasileiro.

"Acho complicado termos uma decisão antes do Natal", admitiu o ministro, durante entrevista em Porto Alegre, antes de viajar para Canoas e Rio Grande para acompanhar manobras da Operação Laçador, treinamento que está mobilizando 10 mil homens nos três Estados do Sul do País.

Apesar de reconhecer que "há uma opção política pela França", já manifestada inclusive pelo presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Jobim considerou que ainda faltam "elementos" para transformar essa preferência em negócio. "Temos que analisar outros aspectos, se é o tipo de tecnologia que precisamos, se o (avião) Rafale responde às condições necessárias de operacionalidade e também o custo", ressalvou o ministro.

A vantagem mais aparente do pacote francês é a "transferência irrestrita" de tecnologia, uma promessa superior à de "transferência necessária" feita pelos Estados Unidos, que, tradicionalmente, impõem embargos nesse quesito.

Críticas paraguaias

Ao falar sobre as críticas que a Operação Laçador recebeu no Paraguai, especialmente do jornal ABC Color, que chegou a tratá-la como um "simulacro de guerra" dirigida ao país, Jobim reiterou que o Brasil resolveu todas as pendências fronteiriças que tinha ainda no início do século passado e não tem qualquer pretensão expansionista.

O ministro desqualificou a preocupação por entender que ela só foi manifestada por "uma imprensa tradicional no sentido de tentar ver a atividade brasileira como se fosse ofensiva ao Paraguai". Também lembrou que o Brasil já fez enormes concessões ao vizinho sul-americano, inclusive o financiamento de uma linha de transmissão entre Itaipu e Assunção.

Sobre os gastos de R$ 10 milhões na operação, Jobim observou que o País está adquirindo uma "posição internacional crescente e ativa" e precisa ter uma capacidade dissuasória para "dizer não quando precisar dizer não".

Le Brésil n'annoncera que début 2010 le vainqueur du contrat portant sur la fourniture de 36 avions de combat d'une valeur de plusieurs milliards de dollars, pour laquelle l'avionneur français Dassault (propriétaire du Figaro, ndlr) est en lice, a annoncé mercredi son ministre de la Défense.

"Le temps est court. L'armée de l'air n'a pas encore rendu son rapport, elle doit le rendre la semaine prochaine, nous n'aurons plus le temps. Je pense que cela (l'annonce) sera pour le début de l'année prochaine", a déclaré le ministre, Nelson Jobim, cité par l'agence Folha de Sao Paulo.

Les trois avionneurs en lice - le français Dassault, l'américain Boeing et le suédois Saab - ont remis le 2 octobre leur offre finale qui est évaluée par l'armée de l'air brésilienne, dont l'avis était attendu en novembre.

Le Rafale de Dassault est considéré comme le favori face au F/A-18 Super Hornet de Boeing et au Gripen NG de Saab pour fournir 36 avions de combat multi-rôles au Brésil, en raison en particulier de l'engagement de la France d'un transfert total de technologie.
M. Jobim a déjà défendu publiquement la proposition française et le président Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a déjà exprimé [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

The competition for the purchase of 36 fighter jets by the FAB, estimated at $ 10 billion, seems an endless novel. In the latest chapter, the Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced further postponement in the selection of fighters, this time to January 2010. It said the reasons for and command of the FAB remain silent so as not to break the hierarchy. The cost of this uncertainty is enormous, because it affects not only the credibility of the negotiations and delay the defense plans of the country, which sees its airspace vulnerable. "You can not stay in this litany. Whether the political criterion, either by coach, you need to resolve them, "said retired Colonel Geraldo Cavagnari, the Center for Strategic Studies at Unicamp. He explains that, once decided to purchase, will run six months until the contract is signed. For the analyst of international security Gunther Rudzītis is necessary to prevent a repeat of the failure of the FX program, held over the last year of the Cardoso government, and finally canceled in 2003. Brazil is in urgent need of a generation of fighter aircraft to ensure the safety of the heavens and their wealth in the territorial sea. ISTOÉ obtained confidential details of the offers of the finalists: the French Rafale from Dassault, the American F-18 Super Hornet, Boeing, and the Swedish Gripen NG, the Saab.

The report shows the FAB strengths and weaknesses of each plane using a color code (blue, yellow and red) instead of notes. Of the three, the French jet introduced technology package more comprehensive and Swedish appears at first sight, had the best price. . Your unit value, without the package of armaments and maintenance costs, is U.S. $ 50 million. . It would be a good deal, not for the Gripen NG only one project in development. This makes it impossible to calculate their real costs and ensure compliance with deadlines. Despite the expectation of development together with Embraer, the dome of Defense knows that choosing the Gripen NG would be like signing a blank check. FAB this item marked in red. "You can not buy what is on the drawing board," warns Cavagnari. In fact, the historical records of the airline industry in the world attest to the instability of estimates on a plane is not yet operational. The F-18 Super Hornet, for example, showed average growth of 100% between the amount originally planned pelosfabricantes and the final cost of the project, which reached U.S. $ 9.5 billion.

Nevertheless, the U.S. fighter is offered today at a stable price of $ 55 million. In the case of the Rafale, to be fully operational, it took 7.5 billion euros (U.S. $ 10.9 billion), a difference of 50% over the initial estimate. Your unit price without arms and support was 94 million euros ($ 136 million) when he began to be sold, but then fell to 54 million euros ($ 78 million). This is the value offered to Brazil in the last proposal and even practiced by Dassault with the French government. Besides the price issue, raised by President Lula during the visit of French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy ABrasilia in September, is at stake in the term. According Cavagnari, the defense sector is in the process of dismantling advanced, which began in 1995. "We have immediate needs of air power that must be addressed," he explains. Then there is another problem. FAB to receive the first aircraft in 2014. Who guarantees to deliver the request in a timely manner? Dassault is in the production line of Rafale heated by new orders from the French government, which gives security to meet the deadlines. The Boeing punctuality in sales of F-18. Already a Saab should take eight years to make their hunting operation. For example, the radar that will equip the Gripen began to be developed this year alone.

"To have an idea, Saab develops radar Caesar for the Typhoon fighter for five years and forecast to be ready is 2016. Now they say they can develop a similar radar, the Raven, to equip the Gripen NG, 2011. I find it unlikely, "said the expert Pedro Paulo Rezende. Another important point in the analysis of FAB is the cost of flight-hours. An airplane that consumes too much is not feasible in the long term. The time of flight of the F-18 is $ 11 thousand, while that of the Rafale is U.S. $ 14 mil. Since the Gripen, according to Saab, it would be $ 4 mil. But the Technical Committee of the FX-2 (Copac), from calculations based on data extrapolated maintenance Gripen C / D (prior to version NG), found a very different value: U.S. $ 8 mil. Similarly, Norway and the Netherlands, to assess the Swedish hunting, came to U.S. $ 10 mil. The divergence of information led to the FAB mark this item Gripen in yellow attention. The F-18 won blue for that matter, but reddened under "radar signature", which means tracking by enemy radar. The Rafale, according to official figures, the game is more "invisible" among competitors.

In a recent mock exercise with the U.S. Navy, the French jets "dropped" six F-18 and lost only two aircraft. The U.S. pilots said they could only see the Rafale on the radar when it was too late to react. Now, who needs to act fast is the Brazilian government.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed on Monday that the federal government in 2010 will leave the decision on the purchase of 36 fighter jets to the Brazilian Air Force. Speaking at the official headquarters of the Navy, Army and Air Force, he said the government has among its priorities to equip the armed forces - which includes the purchase of aircraft.
"In early 2010, we take the decision on the purchase of fighter planes of the FAB," he said. Lula said he also planned the purchase of submarines for the Navy, and about 3,000 armored vehicles for the Army.

In a speech full of praise for the military during the fellowship year end, the President said that the armed forces have played a "key role in the transformations underway in the country, including participation in work to combat floods and drought.

Minister Nelson Jobim (Defense) had already acknowledged that there will be time for the examination of proposals from France, Sweden and the United States by the end of 2009, as the Air Force has yet to complete the technical studies on the provision of three countries that compete for sales to Brazil.

The president is who will give the final word on the choice of aircraft, but promised to convene the Council of National Defense to decide jointly whether Brazil will buy the aircraft from France, the United States or Sweden. Lula has already admitted a preference for French planes.

The Rafale, France's Dassault, is the preferred policy area, while the Gripen NG, the Swedish company Saab, still in the running for being one of the cheapest and provide greater technology transfer. The third competitor is the F-18 Super Hornet, the U.S. Boeing.

Lula said he hoped the approval of the bill that strengthens the military, sent to Congress last week. Text recasts Defense and the Armed Forces, providing the Navy and the Air Force police power only currently assigned to the Army.

The army commander, Gen. Enzo Peres said he expected the project to ensure the transfer of resources to the military in 2010. "It's been pointed out by Sir [Lula] to approve the national strategy of defense. We trust that the resources to go this route will be ensured," he said.

Navy and Air Force might frisk planes and boats and eventually seize his goods and give the order to arrest its occupants in the border regions, covering a range of 150 km to the border with other countries. The project does not propose the use of armed forces in police activities in urban centers.

The project creates the EMCFA (Joint Staff of Armed Forces), which is an advisory body within the Ministry of Defense and will coordinate the chiefs of general staffs of the services. The CFO may be a general officer on active duty or retired with four stars (highest military rank). The choice should rest with the president indication from the Minister of Defense.

The new law is consonant with the National Defense Strategy, adopted by the Council of National Defense and transformed in a decree by the President. The proposal must be approved in the House and Senate and be sanctioned by Lula to go into effect

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said on Wednesday that only in 2010 the government will complete the bidding for the purchase of 36 new fighter aircraft that will replace the current fleet of Air Force (FAB).
According to Jobim, who said that the winner would be announced later this month, the "time is scarce," to make it happen.

"The Air Force has not given me over the work (the technical analysis of proposals submitted by three competing companies). Perhaps will deliver next week and I think it will be for the beginning of next year - Jobim said.

The minister stressed that the final decision on the policy and business will rest with the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Today, three companies compete for the contract with the Brazilian government: the French company Dassault, manufacturer of the Rafale, the U.S. Boeing, maker of the Model F-18 Super Hornet, and Sweden's Saab, with the Gripen NG model. Both Lula and Jobim, however, have shown a preference for French fighters.

The initial estimate was that the FAB conclude the technical analysis of proposals and deliver the result to the Minister by the end of October. Once this stage, the ministry would pass its report to President Lula that he then took the final decision.

The three competitors are being evaluated in five areas prioritized by the Brazilian government: technology transfer; Brazil's domination of weapon system offered, compensation arrangements and participation of national industry, and technical-operational and commercial. The field of weapon system will ensure that Brazil use, without any restriction, the weapons themselves, existing or to be developed.