Brazil calls off fighter jet upgrade (Lockheed Martin, Ft. Worth)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005


Brazil calls off fighter jet upgrade
Staff and Wire Reports


SAO PAULO - Brazil on Thursday canceled its plans to spend $700 million on fighter jets to upgrade its air force.

The bidding process for the purchase of 12 new fighters was canceled because technological advancements would have rendered obsolete the aircraft being considered, the air force said in a statement. Lockheed Martin, hoping to sell F-16 fighters made in Fort Worth, was one of the companies that entered the contest in 2001.

Lockheed spokesman Joe Stout noted that there are a lot of uncertainties involving foreign military sales. He said Lockheed would be ready if Brazil were to decide to go ahead with a new competition.

The Fort Worth plant has a dwindling backlog of F-16 orders, with production now slated to end in 2008. In the last year, Lockheed has cut hundreds of jobs from the program and said it may cut 1,000 more this year, reducing F-16 employment to about 4,000.
(snip/...)

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/10990313.htm
(Free registration is required)

[Judi Lynn]

1. Lula Defeating Rivals In Brazil

February 25, 2005
Lula Defeating Rivals In Brazil

(Angus Reid Consultants - CPOD Global Scan) – Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva could earn a second term in Brazil, according to a poll by Instituto Sensus. At least 52 per cent of respondents would vote for the current president in potential second round contests against five prospective rivals.

Lula—a three-time presidential candidate for the Worker’s Party (PT)—won the October 2002 election with 61 per cent of the vote in a run-off against Jose Serra of the Brazilian Party of Social Democracy (PSDB). In the first round, Lula received 47 per cent of the vote, while Serra garnered 24 per cent.

When paired against five contenders from the PSDB, Lula holds double-digit leads. The prospective candidates are 2002 nominee Serra, former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin, lawmaker Aecio Neves and senator Tasso Jereissati.

The next election is tentatively scheduled for October 2006.
(snip/...)

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewItem&itemID=6088

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[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. "Tentatively scheduled?" WE'RE NOT A BANANA REPUBLIC!

Ever since democracy was restored 20 years ago, all elections happened like clockwork. Jeez.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Odd, isn't it?Maybe meaning if Bush hasn't "liberated" Brazil by then.n/t

[Say_What]

3. Based on the replacement parts Venezuela has been waiting years for,

Uncle Sam is a piss poor vendor--the Brazilians are probably taking notice of that fact.

<clips>

...Sources close to the government have reported complaints of very high prices from the U.S. for a proposed technological update of the aging fleet. Rumors about a possible purchase of Russian MIG-29s have been denied by several Venezuelan officials, which suggests that Venezuela might be applying pressure to negotiate better prices to update their old F-16 fighters.

Chavez also complained of "unacceptable conditions" imposed by the U.S. in order to make the repairs. "We are not going to bend to pressure," he said. "Why do they have to get into our air bases?," he asked. He did not specify on the details of the alleged "pressures".

The President highlighted a possible deal to buy Super Tucano military training planes from Brazil’s Embraer. "They are not imposing those kinds of restrictions," he added. Chavez mentioned the possibility of purchasing commercial planes from Embraer, which recently unveiled a new 110-seat plane the Embraer 195. Brazilian President Lula arrived in Caracas last night for an official visit at which the purchase of Brazilian commercial and military planes will be discussed.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1505

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From the F-16 site:

<clips>

In May 1982, the government of Venezuela signed an agreement to buy 18 Block 15 F-16A's and six Block 15 F-16B's to replace the fleet of Mirage III interceptors and Mirage 5 ground-attack aircraft serving with the Fuerza Aérea Venezolana. This purchase was under the Peace Delta Foreign Military Sales program.

However, the Venzuelan order was not approved immediately because the US government wanted to sell Venezuela the F-16/79 (a slightly degraded F-16 version developed for export orders) instead. In 1983, the US government abandoned its hopes of selling the F-16/79, and finally approved the sale of the F100-powered F-16s to Venezuela

..Of the original 24 aircraft that Venezuela bought, three have crashed: the first two, due to engine failure, and the second one, an F-16B, crashed during a maneuver on an air show at Base Aerea El Libertador, where Grupo 16 is based. In this accident, the first and second commander of the squadron where killed. The Venezuelan Air Force was looking for US government approval to replace these two aircraft and was planning to overhaul and update the remaining 22 airframes. At the end of October 1997, the US government approved the sale of the two F-16s, as well as an upgrade packet including the F-100-PW-220E. However, the purchase of the two attrition airframes has been halted until further notice.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Looks like a well-held opinion has formed that doing bidness with the U.S.

right now is far more trouble than it's worth, until we get some respectable leadership.

From your first article:

The President also mentioned a deal to purchase a communications satellite from China. "The U.S. government would want that the satellite we are going to put up there is made by them, so they can hook us up for the next 100 years," he said.

He also dismissed as "ridiculous" the recent U.S. complaints about Venezuela’s intended purchase of AK-47 rifles and some helicopters from Russia. U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield, recently complained about the "lack of transparency" in the way Venezuela is negotiating the weapons purchase from Russia.

Chavez had mentioned earlier that the U.S. has "no morals" to criticize Venezuela's arms purchases. "They sold weapons to Saddam Hussein, and they armed Al-Qaeda, but the serpent turned against them," he said.
(snip/...)