February 15, 2012
Published: 6 Jan 10 10:31 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Updated: 6 Jan 10 16:19 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24228/20100106/
Saab has been boosted by news that the Brazilian Air Force favours the Swedish firm for a $7 billion contract over its French and American rivals.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Sweden is among twelve countries set to be discussed in a report from the EU commission, due to what the European Commission has identified as imbalances in the economy. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
After observing a slight rise in real estate prices after the first month of 2012, Swedish realtors are hoping that this may be the beginning of a positive trend after last year's plummeting prices. READ »
40 percent of recruiters are checking potential employee’s social networking pages during the hiring process, a figure which has shot up from last year, according to a recent report. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Families of children in Sweden suffering from narcolepsy caused by vaccination for the swine flu can expect some form of compensation, Swedish health minister Göran Hägglund said on Sunday in response to new calls for help from parents. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Swedish defence group Saab on Friday reported a major boost in earnings for 2011 thanks to winning several major contracts, but a drop in orders left investors jittery, sending Saab's stock price down nearly 10 percent. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
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H&M has been criticized for choosing not to attend a hearing to highlight poor conditions for textile workers in Cambodia, where hundreds of employees at a plant run by the Swedish fashion giant mysteriously passed out in August. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
The bankruptcy of Spanair pulled SAS into the red for 2011, despite improved operating profits, the Scandinavian airline reported on Wednesday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Swedish defence group Saab have announced that it will cut the price on its Gripen fighter jet to secure its Swiss order after a threat by French planemaker Dassault to undercut them. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
An overwhelming majority of Swedes disagree with Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's suggestion that workers should be ready to stay on the job until they are 75, a new poll shows. READ (34 COMMENTS) »

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Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »
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I hope SAAB gets the deal. It will help to secure jobs and generate income in Sweden.
Ah...I hate to break it to the Editor...but SAAB Automobile AB was SPLIT from SAAB AB in 1990, when General Motors purchased the first 50%, then purchased the remaining 50% in 2000.
SAAB AB has NOTHING to do with SAAB Automobile AB.
And you live in Sweden? What rock have you been living under for the last 20 years?
"The priority for Brazil is to acquire technology through the purchase so it can end up with the capability to build its own 21st-century fighter"
I read this to mean that Brazil will just copy the Saab fighter and then produce its own. I worked for GE and China did the same, they ordered a fleet of new GPS guided locomotives, took delivery of the first 2 and then just reversed engineered them. Originally they had told GE they were going to buy 20, so GE started to build 20 but only sold 2.
Hopefully for Saab Brazil will take the full order of planes and not just 1 or 2 and then start building Saab knockoffs.
And while the military and automobile portions of Saab are two separate entities, they are both Swedish and so this means jobs for Sweden. Either way that is good.
In the end, this deal is only a short term boost as it appears that Brazil wants to build its own fighter. If that is the case it will be based on whatever plane they buy.
In my view the Saab fighter is better than Rafale and US F/A 18. But as I know the politic system in Brazil, they are only speculating the market. Decisions will be taken maybe next year, cause this year we'll have elections in Brazil. It means: all can be change.
I hope they choose the Saab aircraft and break the influence of France/US at the military forces.
For Brazil is a big deal to have license to produce this fighters at Embraer, and maybe Embraer can exchange technology with the swedish aircraft factory.
One of the two will run the other out of this market.
The french plane is not even favored by the French Air Force.
The F18 is older and not Next Gen, which says something about how dang good that plane is considering it's 2nd choice - Brazil can't afford the F-35. If they could they'd buy it.
I don't know what part of the navigation system you are talking about.
The radar is currently made by Marconi, and will in the future be made by Selex Gallileio. The communication system is made by Thales. Neither is American.
The biggest American part is the engine which is made by GE.
Brazil can not buy F35: not because they can not afford it, but because US does not offer it. US sells F35 only for very close allies.
Brazilian government has made clear that one of the most important criteria in this bid is the full technology transfer of the fighters. So, if Brazil will build its own fighter in a couple of years, this will have nothing to do with stealing or copying, but only using what they bought (i.e., technology). Remember as well that the 3rd biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world is brazlian (Embraer). This company already produces fighters nowadays (and produced even more in the past).
Brazil had problems in the past with technology transfer from the US. They dont want to make the same error. That is why the F/A 18 is low weighted in this bid, even though US is offering them for the half of the market price.
Because the SAAB fighter uses american engine (i.e., a potential problem for technology transfer), it is not well seen at the brazlian government. An additional comment here: SAAB has offered not only full technology transfer for this bid, but a **joint development** of a new version of the NG Gripen that Brazil would have the **right to market**.
About the french option. Brazil has recently announced the acquisiton of helicopters and submarines from France (in a bid 3x larger than this one for the fighters) with the very same issue of full technology transfer. And as the text of the article said, these countries are establishing an strategic alliance that goes beyond the military plane, but reaches several other areas.
Judging from the data submitted, the AC are a mismash of several countries parts, systems and engines.
Judging from this, how can a Gripen be referred to as Swedish?
Politics and cost play more of a role than quality or nationalistic pride, thus the name on the AC becomes a moot point.