Garcia wants additional assurances from the US. Said the advisor: "We have to evaluate if there will be effective guarantees, because technology transfer is a general term. We also want to know if we are not going to be subject to any kind of restriction as the ones endured by the Brazilian Super Tucanos aircraft. This was not a good precedent. American diplomats themselves acknowledged that this was not a good precedent."
The presidential advisor was referring to the time when Brazil tried to sell military planes Super Tucanos made by Embraer to Venezuela. The planes use American technology and, in 2006, Washington opposed the sale of the aircraft to Caracas claiming that the technology used in the airplanes could not be shared with other countries.
According to Garcia, Brazil will only consider the US proposal when that country or Boeing, the Super Hornet's manufacturer, present a serious and detailed proposal like the one made by the French. Lula's advisor also announced that Brasília is ready to open negotiations with Sweden and the United States, the other two countries interested in selling war aircraft to Brazil, a deal worth US$ 4 billion.
"There are no ambiguity or division in the government. We have not closed the deal with anybody. If there is another proposal as appealing or better than the one presented by the French government, we are going to engage in discussion. What happened on September 7 is that we have a good experience in partnership with the French, which was reflected in the submarines and helicopters issue. They have given us effective assurance of transfer of technology."
And Garcia added: "Minister Jobim (of Defense) stated in the Senate during a hearing on the French submarines that as a lawyer he worked with the past records and with other partners these past records were not good while they were good with France in the case of the submarines and helicopters."
The United States Embassy in Brazil issued a note, this September 9, informing that the American government has decided to transfer to Brazil the technology of the fighter plane F/A 19 Super Hornet. The American government has also decided to allow the war aircraft to be assembled in Brazil. Â
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The Super Hornet, is in competition with the Gripen, from the Swedish company Saab, and the Rafale, made by French firm Dassault. The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration has announced it will have a final word on the deal by the end of October.
Commenting on the new development, president Lula told reporters this Tuesday in Brasília: "Soon I will be getting these fighter jets for free."
US Embassy's Note
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The United States Mission to Brazil has received a number of public inquiries regarding the status of the FX-2 bid made by Boeing. We understand that a final decision has not yet been made regarding the winner of the contract.Â
The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a combat-proven fighter with advanced technology, and we believe it is the best in comparison to its competitors. The U.S. Government fully supports the sale of the F/A-18 Super Hornet to the Brazilian Air Force. Our government approved the transfer of all necessary technology. We continue to believe that our proposal is strong and competitive.
The United States Congress' review of the potential sale to the Government of Brazil of the F/A-18 Super Hornet concluded on September 5 with no formal objection to the proposed sale.Â
This means that U.S. Government's approval of the transfer to Brazil of the advanced technologies associated with the U.S. Government's offer of the F/A-18 Super Hornet is final. Final assembly of the Super Hornet in Brazil has also been approved by the U.S. Government.Â
Boeing's multi-billion dollar offset package to be invested directly into the Brazilian aerospace industry will transfer technology related to military design and production, provide autonomy in key areas of program support, and develop a broad Brazilian aerospace industry beyond just fighter aircraft, through direct involvement with the world's largest aerospace company.
The United States welcomes the opportunity to enter into open negotiations for the FX-2 competition, which would build on the strong military partnership that Brazil and the United States enjoy, based on common interests and shared values.