/reeve.gif)
Exclusive: Brazil closer to Boeing on jets deal after Biden visit
6:09 p.m. CDT, June 4, 2013
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil is closer to choosing Boeing Co.'s F-18 for one of the developing world's most sought-after defense contracts after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden addressed the government's main misgivings during a visit to Brasilia.
The deal will involve 36 jets worth about $4 billion, with probable follow-up orders that would greatly increase the value of the contract over time.
The other finalists are France's Dassault Aviation SA and Sweden's Saab AB .
Rousseff has not made her final decision, and the timing for an announcement remains unclear, the officials stressed.
But they said Rousseff's comments to Biden and other recent developments suggest a preference for Boeing, with a decision possible before she makes a state visit to the White House to see President Barack Obama in October.
Rousseff's main concern with Boeing's bid has been that the U.S. Congress could block technology transfers because of national security concerns.
Rousseff, a pragmatic leftist, has said the technology is even more important than the jets themselves because the deal must boost Brazil's own budding defense industry, including planemaker Embraer SA , to be worth the price.
Much more at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 8224.story
and
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... ory?page=2