Ecuador, Brazil to help set up Haiti new military

PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 30 (Reuters) - Brazil and Ecuador have
agreed to help Haiti set up a new army that will eventually
replace the U.N. peacekeeping force that has protected the
impoverished Caribbean nation on and off since 1994, officials
say.

Haiti's President Michel Martelly has been pushing the idea
of reconstituting the army for almost a year, saying Haitians
would prefer to have their country protected by its own troops
rather than United Nations soldiers deployed in Haiti.

Brazil's Defense Ministry confirmed it was prepared to help
Haiti in everything it needs to restore its army, including
military training and engineering. Ecuador has also pledged its
support, a defense ministry official said.


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Brazil Again Puts Off Decision in Fighter Jet Competition

BRASILIA, Brazil — The Brazilian Air Force has asked bidders to renew their offers on a contract to provide 36 next-generation fighter jets, extending for six months a race between U.S., French and Swedish contestants.
The Rafale fighter, made by French firm Dassault Aviation, is competing against the Boeing Co. F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen for the contract valued at between $4 billion and $7 billion.
The Brazilian Air Force asks the bidders to renew their offers every six months. The last bidding window ended on June 30 and the new one will end Dec. 31.
In a statement sent to AFP, the Air Force said it was a “normal procedure” to extend the offers for the government to study them so long as the winner has not yet been selected.

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Brazil delays F-X2 fighter decision until end of 2012

The Brazilian government has deferred selecting the winner of its F-X2 fighter competition until 31 December 2012, despite repeated assurances a decision would be announced by mid-year.
Disclosing that it has requested bidding companies Boeing, Dassault and Saab to maintain their offers until the year-end date, the government attributed its latest postponement to unfavourable global economic conditions and low economic growth in Brazil.
Local reports suggest Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff held talks with French counterpart François Hollande at the UN's recent Rio +20 conference over a new proposal on the Dassault Rafale.
High acquisition and operating costs remain major stumbling blocks to any possible deal for the type, sources say, and the new proposal is expected to be a talking point again when Rousseff and defence minister Celso Amorim visit France later this month.

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Brazilian Navy Takes Delivery of Amazonas

The Brazilian Navy has taken delivery of Amazonas, the first of three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) from BAE Systems at Portsmouth Naval Base, US, on Friday morning, June 29, as part of the £133 million deal it struck earlier this year.

Originally the three ships were to be built for Trinidad and Tobago but the contract was cancelled following schedule and design issues. The new deal with Brazil now includes a manufacturing license for the Brazilians to continue to build additional OPVs indigenously.

The second and third vessels are to be delivered to the Brazilian Navy in December 2012 and 2013 respectively. Eighty Brazilian Navy sailors have been subjected to training in the Portsmouth Naval Base by BAE Systems engineers before the delivery at so as to be able to operate the latest addition to their fleet.

The fleet modernization scheme of the Brazilian Navy also includes procurement of five frigate-class boats and one support ship.

Source :http://navaltoday.com

Boeing, Embraer sign MoU for KC-390 cooperation

 

Boeing and Embraer today announced an agreement to collaborate on marketing and developing technologies for the KC-390.
The memorandum of understanding calls for sharing "specific technical knowledge," but no details have yet been revealed. "We didn't really get into the specifics," says Boeing, "It's just a collaboration to share technology."
With Boeing's access to US and key foreign markets, the agreement includes exploring joint sales efforts.
"We don't have specific markets yet. What they're going to do is an analysis," says Boeing.
The agreement does not include a role for Boeing in preexisting contracts. Embraer has already booked a number of orders and commitments for the KC-390, mostly within Latin America as well as the Czech Republic and Portugal.
By collaborating with the KC-390, Boeing is able to deepen its relationship with the main supplier to the Brazilian air force.

©Embraer

Boeing is competing to sell the F/A-18 aircraft to the Brazilian air force, but faces rival bids from the Dassault Rafale and the Saab Gripen for the 36-aircraft order.
"This agreement is not linked to F-X2," says Boeing. "This agreement with Embraer will continue regardless of results."
The MoU on the KC-390 comes two months after both companies agreed to broadly explore areas of collaboration in safety and technology.
The KC-390 is scheduled to fly in 2014, with deliveries beginning in 2016. The aircraft is widely seen as competition for Boeing arch-rival Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the similarly-sized C-130J.

Source :http://www.flightglobal.com

A-1M Flies; Embraer Delivers Milestone Aircraft

The F-5M program (also known as F-5BR) has now delivered the first batch of 46 aircraft. Work has begun on upgrading another 11. (Photo: Embraer)

June 22, 2012, 4:02 PM

In a ceremony at the Gavião Peixoto plant on June 19, Embraer marked three milestones as part of its activities to support the Brazilian air force. The most notable was the first flight of the first A-1 AMX upgraded to A-1M configuration. The A-1M is a refurbished aircraft upgraded with a number of new systems, including Mectron SCP-01 Scipio multimode radar, onboard oxygen generating system and an Elbit avionics suite that includes a new glass cockpit and the Dash helmet-mounted display. Embraer is modernizing 43 aircraft to the A-1M standard in a program scheduled for completion in 2017. Ten aircraft have already entered the upgrade process.

During the ceremony Embraer also handed over the last A-29 Super Tucano to the Brazilian air force. The service became the launch customer for the type when it ordered 99 in December 2003 under the AL-X program. In Força Aerea Brasiliana (FAB) service the A-29 is used for advanced training and as a light attack/patrol aircraft as part of the Sivam Amazon surveillance system.

Embraer’s third achievement of the day was delivery to the FAB of the final two F-5M modernized fighters from the first batch to be ordered. Forty-six aircraft were covered by this program, which involved structural refurbishment for at least 15 more years of life. An avionics update developed with Elbit included replacing the original radar with the Selex Galileo Grifo F, and the installation of a datalink, modern cockpit and helmet-mounted display.

Conversion of 11 more aircraft (eight F-5E single-seaters and three F-5F two-seaters purchased from Jordan) to F-5M standard is under way, following contract award in December 2010. Deliveries of this second batch will start next year.

Source :www.ainonline.com

Brazilian Air Force takes delivery of A-29, F-5M fighters

The A-29 Super Tucano jet. An Embraer photo

SAO PAULO (BNS): Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has taken delivery of an A-29 Super Tucano and two upgraded F-5M fighter aircraft from Embraer.

The aircraft were delivered to the FAB on Tuesday.

The 99th A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft was delivered under a 2003 contract to supply 76 such fighters to the FAB with an option for an additional 23 jets under the AL-X programme.

The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano is a turboprop jet designed for light attack, counter insurgency and pilot training missions, incorporating modern avionics and weapons systems.

The aircraft is currently used in the FAB for advanced pilot training and carries out important functions in the Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM).

The two F-5M fighters, featuring new navigation systems, weaponry, computers, and multimodal radar, were delivered under a contract awarded to Embraer in 2000 to modernise a total of 46 such supersonic jets of the FAB. The aircraft were the last two jets under the contract.

In December 2010, Embraer received another contract to upgrade 11 additional F-5 jets for the FAB. Work will begin on the first jet in October 2012, the company said, adding that the first deliveries of this second group of jets are planned for 2013.

The Brazilian Air Force has been flying the Northrop-made F-5 jets since the 1970s.

Source :http://brahmand.com

Brazilian Air Force takes delivery of A-29, F-5M fighters

The A-29 Super Tucano jet. An Embraer photo

SAO PAULO (BNS): Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has taken delivery of an A-29 Super Tucano and two upgraded F-5M fighter aircraft from Embraer.

The aircraft were delivered to the FAB on Tuesday.

The 99th A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft was delivered under a 2003 contract to supply 76 such fighters to the FAB with an option for an additional 23 jets under the AL-X programme.

The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano is a turboprop jet designed for light attack, counter insurgency and pilot training missions, incorporating modern avionics and weapons systems.

The aircraft is currently used in the FAB for advanced pilot training and carries out important functions in the Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM).

The two F-5M fighters, featuring new navigation systems, weaponry, computers, and multimodal radar, were delivered under a contract awarded to Embraer in 2000 to modernise a total of 46 such supersonic jets of the FAB. The aircraft were the last two jets under the contract.

In December 2010, Embraer received another contract to upgrade 11 additional F-5 jets for the FAB. Work will begin on the first jet in October 2012, the company said, adding that the first deliveries of this second group of jets are planned for 2013.

The Brazilian Air Force has been flying the Northrop-made F-5 jets since the 1970s.

Source :http://brahmand.com

Boeing expects winner to be picked in Brazilian FX-2 competition this year

Boeing expects Brazil to pick a winner for its FX-2 fighter competition later this year, a top company official says.

"The original intention was to make a decision in the June timeframe," says Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing's military aircraft division. "We believe that as with all international sales, those dates tend to fluctuate."

But that being said, Chadwick says there are indications that the contest will not be significantly delayed.

"We are getting a lot of very positive vibes in terms of a decision sooner rather than later," Chadwick says. He adds that there are good indications that Brazil will decide on a winner this year.

©Boeing

Boeing believes it is in a good competitive position in Brazil, Chadwick says. The company's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is in competition with the Swedish Saab Gripen and the French Dassault Rafale fighters to supply the emerging South American economic powerhouse with 36 aircraft.

Chadwick says Boeing has had "unprecedented" support from the US government in its quest to secure the Brazilian tender. "They are leaning forward and allowing us to meet all capability requirements of the Brazilian air force," he says.

Additionally, Boeing has verbal and written assurances from the US government and the Congress that they will meet Brazil's technology transfer requirements, Chadwick says.

Meanwhile, the company and its subcontractors have made lots of headway in securing local partners to meet Brazil's industrial offset requirements.

Other than Brazil, the Chadwick says that there are opportunities for the F/A-18E/F in the Middle East and Asia.

Source : http://www.flightglobal.com