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Saab wins Brazil jet deal after NSA spying sours Boeing bid
Brazil awarded a $4.5 billion contract to Saab AB on Wednesday to replace its aging fleet of fighter jets, a surprise coup for the Swedish company after news of U.S. spying on Brazilians helped derail Boeing's chances for the deal. ... The timing of the announcement, after more than a decade of off-and-on negotiations, appeared to catch the companies involved by surprise. Even Juniti Saito, Brazil's top air force commander, said on Wednesday that he only heard of the decision a day… (mobile.reuters.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
China's Snowden(s) have been systemically killed by their security apparatus, or you'd hear more about their spying.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Maybe the Saab plane is a good enough plane. Maybe it's the better plane. Maybe it is the best plane within the budget constraints.
But there shouldn't be any other considerations apart from the suitability of the aircraft for the mission and ability to properly budget for the putchase and operational cost.
Making purchase decisions of national security equipment to send a political message, rather than picking the most appropriate tool is stupid.
Maybe the Saab plane is a good enough plane. Maybe it's the better plane. Maybe it is the best plane within the budget constraints.
But there shouldn't be any other considerations apart from the suitability of the aircraft for the mission and ability to properly budget for the putchase and operational cost.
Making purchase decisions of national security equipment to send a political message, rather than picking the most appropriate tool is stupid.
Brazil hardly needs the most sophisticated aircraft. When one looks at its neighbors, Argentina is most formidable with very little high quality aircraft. They are currently negotiating with Spain to take the latter's old Mirages off their hands.
Given that consideration there is nothing wrong with making or rejecting purchases based on national policy. This may set off other rounds of retaliation such as excluding eligibility of Embraer for various programs such as accelerated depreciation used by US Airlines.
Given that consideration there is nothing wrong with making or rejecting purchases based on national policy. This may set off other rounds of retaliation such as excluding eligibility of Embraer for various programs such as accelerated depreciation used by US Airlines.
They may not need the more expensive superior-capability planes. That reason is sufficient.
Pretending that it has anything to do with technological surveillance is just politics.
You would think that if they had a threatening hostile neighbor on their border, they'd be more concerned about the capabilities of the plane. But then there's the whole South Korean bid fiasco, with the North Koreans' situation getting more desperate by the day as their leader seems ever more paranoid.
Pretending that it has anything to do with technological surveillance is just politics.
You would think that if they had a threatening hostile neighbor on their border, they'd be more concerned about the capabilities of the plane. But then there's the whole South Korean bid fiasco, with the North Koreans' situation getting more desperate by the day as their leader seems ever more paranoid.
The American presence around the world should be scaled back slightly. Let nations that want protection ask for and help pay for the protection that is being provided to them.
If they are too proud to ask for help, and get overrun. That's their own deal.
Over the years, the presence of a worldwide military power has a stabilizing effect on the world. Some (too many) seem to take thus fir granted and even bad mouth the 'great power'.
Let'm feel some pain from destabilization. They'll appreciate the effort being made by US military and being funded by US taxpayers.
If they are too proud to ask for help, and get overrun. That's their own deal.
Over the years, the presence of a worldwide military power has a stabilizing effect on the world. Some (too many) seem to take thus fir granted and even bad mouth the 'great power'.
Let'm feel some pain from destabilization. They'll appreciate the effort being made by US military and being funded by US taxpayers.
Brazil was all set to buy the French Rafael aircraft but around june-july of this year there were terrible demonstrations on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and others protesting the 20-30 billion DOLLARS beinguburned by the government for holding soccer's top World Cup compettition in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016 when the infrastructure in the country is a monumental mess: overcrowded airports and motorways, the badly needed super-fast Rio-Sao train is still in the preliminary engineering studies stage, hospitals more resembling staging areas before sending patients to private clinics, or to their burial. The cost of the Gripen program at $4+ billion level vs. the French Rafale which arguably being more andvanced would have brough a 10-12 billion bill. Now the big question, does the country need any of this, ABSOLUTELY NOT it is just that their Air Force hotjocks want to drive something newer.
If they want to use a National Defense decision to make a political point let them make that unwise decision and think nothing of it. Boeing is an excellent company.