IMHO the Gripen would be the second-worst option (F-16 would be the worst, because it´s a bad package). It is a fighter tailored for a small country like Sweden that simply doesn´t fulfill the needs of an air force from a country as large as Brazil. If the Sukhoi can´t be chosen because of logistics, Brazil would be better off choosing the M2K proposal, which is better than the Gripen´s. M2K has a bigger engine, can carry a bigger weapons load, and has more range. And Brazil knows and trusts Dassault/Embraer products.

Originally posted by Primer55
Hi everybody,

In my opinion, the Su-35 isn’t the best fighter which is being offered to Brazil. The Gripen is!!
Ok, some may say that it is too short-legged to operate in such a large country as Brazil, but I’d like to make a few comments about this:

Most of the airfields in the Amazon jungle aren’t anything more than a few hundreds meters of mud. The Su-35 couldnt be used in these airfields once it is simply too heavy and could end stuck in the mud. Operating from air bases located too far away from the ToA it would spend a lot of time and lots of fuel making its way to the place where it could be required. This way it also would have a higher time of reaction. The Su-35 also would have a lot problems operating off its home once it doesn’t an APU. Another point against the Sukhoi is that it is a lot expensive to operate and for an Air Force without much money that’s make a big difference.

Regards,
Primer

If the F-X fighter main mission is to protect the Amazon jungle, then Brazil does not need a high performance fighter, since the majority of the airplanes these fighters will be intercepting will be Cessnas and Pipers smuggling drugs into Brazil. The ALX can fulfill this requirement quite satisfactorily, and save the Brazilian Air Force a lot of money. Besides, there are no high value assets in the Amazon jungle; all major targets for enemy missiles and bombs are 1000 miles to the south. So why a rapid reaction fighter is needed?
The F-X competition has one major purpose, and that is to modernize the Brazilian Air Force. That means, first and foremost, to replace its F-103s and F-5s. These new planes will be based in Central and Southeast Brazil, where the high value assets are. And these places have, AFAIK, large air bases, which can provide the Su-35 all the ground support the Flanker needs to operate and dominate the skies above.
And one also had to take into account that the Flanker might be more expensive to operate, but it is a force multiplier – twelve Flankers are much more effective, due to its range and weapons load, than twelve Gripens or twelve Mirage 2000s. A airforce with, let´s say, 24 Flankers is as strong as one with 36 Gripens, since the Flanker is more capable. In the long run it pays off purchasing heavy and more capable fighters, because they are able to fulfill every mission that is required of them.

Originally posted by SOC
If military aid has been stopped, how would we justify a large offset deal to help sell military equipment? Isn’t that the same thing in a sense?

Quick answer – it´s simply not happening. Easy as that. 😀

Now it looks like much more realistic to me. I have seen this proposal in the past, and couldn´t believe so many weapons would be simply handed over to Brazil as an offset to a possible deal.
Add the current difficulties in the FTAA negotiations, coupled with the end of US military aid to Brazil, as you pointed out, and one can conclude that such a proposal is simply not viable, at least on political grounds. It looks like a hoax to me.

Regards,
F6F

Uh? :confused: