Boeing is considering expanding its marketing presence in Brazil as it begins to re-engage Latin America's most populous country in its now-dormant fighter competition.
The US manufacturer is raising its activity on the commercial front, with vice-president for international relations Tom Pickering having recently visited Brazil, suggesting Boeing may upgrade its facility there to one of a handful of designated country offices. That proposal is still being reviewed, says Jeffrey Johnson, Boeing vice-president of international business development for Israel, Africa and Latin America, but the company is close to deciding on a commitment to a larger footprint in the country.
Boeing last week gave a series of briefings on its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter to Brazillian government and military officials, says Johnson. Boeing voluntarily dropped out of the F-X BR fighter competition more than three years ago rather than continue to invest resources in the bidding process, but has regained interest despite the programme's tortured history.
In January, Brazil cancelled a long-delayed downselect for the F-X BR award. The government now is debating whether to buy used or new fighters to replace aging Dassault Mirage IIIEs, or do nothing. Boeing is moving now to re-establish the Super Hornet as a contender in case the F-X BR requirement re-emerges. In the meantime, Boeing is also in position to act as a broker in sales of used Northrop F-5s to Brazil, which is a potential interim solution to Brazil's modernisation plans.
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STEPHEN TRIMBLE/RIO DE JANEIRO
Source: Flight International
