ON DECEMBER 18 the Brazilian government announced its selection of the Saab Gripen NG as its next-generation fighter. The decision put an end to more than 15 years of discussions and speculation, and finally saw the green light given for the acquisition phase of the FX-2 project. The Brazilian Air Force will now negotiate with the manufacturer with the aim of procuring an eventual 36 examples of the single-seat JAS 39E Gripen, worth around $4.5 billion until 2023. The contract should be finalized before the end of the year, and may be launched with an initial 12-aircraft order. The Saab bid will also include various sub-systems, technology transfer, financing and a long-term bilateral collaboration agreement between the Brazilian and Swedish governments. This was bad news for the Gripen's two rivals in the FX-2 bidding, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Dassault Rafale. The French manufacturer responded with a statement describing the Gripen as 'an aircraft provided with many items of equipment of third-party origin, especially US, and that does not belong to the same category as the Rafale'. Dassault highlighted the selection of a lighter, single-engine fighter as a sign of budgetary constraint. In contrast, the Rafale package was valued at around $8 billion.
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