Brazil Goes with the Rafale

It looks as if Brazil has decided on the Rafale.

Brazil opened talks with Dassault Aviation SA and France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, pointing to broader military cooperation with the French as a key factor in the choice.

Lula said talks started largely because France is offering access to the plane’s technology. The contract would be worth as much as 5 billion euros ($7.2 billion), an official at the French president’s office said on condition of anonymity. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France plans to buy 10 military transport planes from Empresa Brasileira Aeronautica SA.

The arrangement will also allow Brazil to build the Rafale on license, and apparently even to have export rights. The possibility of Brazil purchasing F/A-18s had been mentioned, but the article suggests that Boeing was not approached for a bid. The article doesn't specifically indicate that some of the Rafales will be capable of operating from NAe Sao Paulo, but given that the Brazilians are completing an upgrade, it's probably a safe bet.

More broadly, I suspect that there's a bit of concern in Washington that Brazil seems to be seeking extra-hemispheric defense partners. Brazil has purchased from non-US suppliers before, of course, but given the increasing dominance of the US in global arms sales, it's almost surprising when alternative options are pursued. As with every defense procurement decision, the political issues are difficult to separate from the strictly military considerations.