Saab upgrading bid for Brazil FX-2 contest

Swedish manufacturer Saab is upgrading its bid for Brazil's long-delayed FX-2 jet fighter purchase plan, even as it weighs challenges from formidable rivals Boeing and France's Dassault.

Saab is one of the three leading contenders for Brazil's jet fighter replacement program, said to be worth $6 billion-8 billion but wants to make sure its jet will compete successfully for roles in both the Brazilian air force and navy.

Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault's Rafale-M have already demonstrated their multirole fighter capabilities extend from air force to naval operations. Saab ran tests on a naval version of its Gripen NG with the aim to show that its jet, if successful in the FX-2 competition, will be equal to the tasks demanded of an all-rounder combat aircraft.

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