US to transfer F/A-18 Super Hornet technology to Brazil

Boeing is ready to transfer F/A-18 Super Hornet technology to Brazil if the country buys 36 F/A-18 Super Hornets as a part of  Brazil’s FX-2 Fighter Competition. Something which US has never done before. Boeing has taken this step to boost the competition in  Brazil’s FX-2 Fighter. Brazil has been showing interest on French Dassualt Rafale which also offers complete technology transfer, which has clear advantages over F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Bidders for the Brazil’s FX-2 Fighter Competition have been restricted to the:

- Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
- Dassault Rafale
- Eurofighter Typhoon
- Saab Gripen NG (Next Generation)
- Sukhoi Su-35

The selected type will replace some of the Brazilian air force’s Alenia/Embraer AMX ground-attack aircraft and its upgraded Northrop F-5 fighters, plus a recently acquired batch of ex-French air force Dassault Mirage 2000s.

Industry sources say the RFI requests the delivery of an “established, proven airframe” with supersonic performance, network connectivity and multirole capabilities. The document does not specify whether companies should offer an active electronically scanned array radar with the aircraft, but says both within- and beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles should be supplied.

The F-X2 programme also includes an offset requirement worth 100% of the total acquisition costs, with licensed manufacturing of the selected fighter’s airframe, avionics and engines requested during the life of the programme.