Why the Rafale was seized in Brazil
The Rafale does not land in Brazil. Four reasons for this new failure to export the fighter tricolor face a much smaller Swedish rival, the Gripen.
Why the Rafale lost to Saab Gripen in Brazil? This is not really a surprise as the plane tricolor fight had lost ground in recent years compared to its rivals, the first Boeing F-18 before it was swept away by the flood Snowden and the Gripen aircraft low cost battle of the Swedish manufacturer.
Saab had to be pretty disheveled by this very happy announcement. This is however a coup de theater, the timing chosen by President Dilma Rousseff. She surprised many observers believe that Brasilia would not renew its battle fleet before 2015.
The Rafale favorite Lula ... but no Rousseff
Long, the Rafale was the favorite of Brazilians. This status especially considering the excellent personal relationship What kept the two former presidents Lula and Nicolas Sarkozy, who had succeeded in imposing aircraft tricolor combat in a hostile environment yet.
Because neither the Air Force nor the iconic industrial Brazil Embraer rolled for the Rafale. "Between Brazil and France, it is not a supplier-customer relationship, but to partnership ", stated Nicolas Sarkozy in an interview published during his visit to Brazil in September 2009 in the newspaper" O Globo ". Despite misgivings, Lula had imposed. "This is Nicolas Sarkozy who sold the Rafale, it is not us. Success it deserves," was even considered during this visit the former CEO of Dassault Aviation, Charles Edelstenne, who has always considered this marketing campaign as very political.
But President Lula promised to select the Rafale shortly before his departure in December 2010, has not kept his promise. Why? Mystery. But rumors of kickbacks hovered, with the presence of some French intermediaries, which have appeared in provocative cases around the former president. Once in power, Rousseff has never been societatis affectio for France and its leaders in general, and the Rafale in particular. Therefore, the Rafale was condemned to play the Stooges.
Brazil between economic crisis and major works
"There are four years, Brazil would have to choose the Rafale. Economic situation was a little better, there was not the crisis of the middle class. And there was no prospect of funding Olympic Games and the World Cup, "said AFP deputy director of the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), Jean-Pierre Maulny." With the Gripen, the Brazilians finally have a quality / excellent price, "says Philippe Plouvier, the consulting firm Roland Berger Strategy. A key equation in times of budget restrictions.
The Air Force has never supported the Rafale
The Brazilian Air Force, including his Chief of Staff, still in place, Juniti Saito has never called for the Rafale, defended by Lula. But however the FAB has always been interested in the Gripen. In January 2010, she explained that Saab Gripen offered "for half the price of the Rafale, or about $ 70 million, and the flight time is four times cheaper than the Rafale."
This is what most embarrassing aviators. maintenance costs and the cost per flight hour of the tricolor jet considered too high were periodically criticized in Brazil, especially in the air force. where there was .. but supporters of Rafale.
But compared to the Gripen, a single engine, the latest version does not exist but that advance delusional costs per flight hour (4,500 euros), Brazilians felt that the maintenance cost of the Rafale was still too high. "All budget goes to maintenance," heard you say in Brazil. According to our information, the time of flight of the Rafale would rise between 12,000 and 15,000 euros.
Brazil has already bought a lot in France
France and Brazil have a strategic partnership which has borne fruit for the tricolor industry. "Paris can not have everything," Wednesday felt a Brazilian source. Thus, the naval group DCNS signed a contract in 2009 to € 6.7 billion on construction in partnership with the Brazilian Navy five submarines, including a nuclear submarine attack (SNA). Another important contract, signed in 2008, focuses on the production Helibras Brazilian subsidiary of Eurocopter, 50 military helicopters EC725 transportation (Caracal), which will be manufactured in Brazil.
More recently, during the recent visit to Brazil Hollande, several contracts were signed during the trip. Including Total's commitment alongside Petrobras in the offshore oilfield Libra. Areva also signed a € 1.25 billion for the construction of a third reactor at the center of Angra . then Thales will sign the provision of a telecommunications satellite dual-use - civilian and military - while the Arianespace launch. A global contract of € 400 million.
Finally, the IT group Bull has also signed a letter of intent to locally manufacture supercomputers .
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