September 26, 2012 defpro.com
NEWTOWN, Conn. | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has put off selecting a winner of the Air Force's FX-2 fighter program until at least mid-2013.
The Air Force has asked the three contenders to renew their bids every six months. The Air Force says that the renewal process is a "normal procedure" while the government continues to assess the offers. The current bidding window will end December 31. It was hoped that a decision would be made at that time rather than push the competition into the following year. At this rate, the earliest a selection will be made would be in June 2013.
Although there has been no firm reason provided for the delay, several unnamed senior officials believe that funding may be partly to blame.
Dassault Aviation's Rafale is competing against the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen NG for a $4-$7 billion contract. The contract envisions the procurement of an initial batch of 36 fights and could climb as high as 150 aircraft. The contract also has a strict requirement for technology transfer.
The president stressed the importance of direct support for the defense industry from both the state and the private sector.
Russia's defense industry accounts for 1,353 organizations and companies in 64 regions of the country, and employs over two million people
/fdata%2F4220908%2Favatar-blog-1207340840-tmpphpbvDubc.jpeg){kind=avatar}
