Boeing: Brazil to make jet-fighter pick this year Brazil will probably pick a winner in a jet-fighter contest worth at least $5 billion later this year, according to Boeing Co., which is pitching the F/A-18 Super Hornet for the contract.
Brazil has sought additional information from Boeing to ensure that the F/A-18 offer remains valid, Chris Raymond, the U.S. company’s vice president for business development, said Sunday in a briefing ahead of the Paris Air Show.
The Super Hornet is competing for a 36-aircraft order with France’s Rafale, made by Dassault Aviation SA, and Swedish manufacturer Saab AB’s Gripen, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said in February.
Boeing and U.S. competitor Lockheed Martin Corp. lost out in the biggest warplane contest in 15 years in April when India shortlisted Dassault’s Rafale and the Eurofighter, made by BAE Systems PLC, Finmeccanica SpA and European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co., for a 126-plane order. – Bloomberg News
FTC lets Microsoft proceed with purchase of Skype
The Federal Trade Commission is letting software giant Microsoft Corp. proceed with its largest deal ever, an $8.5 billion bid for web chat and call service Skype.
The FTC announced Friday that it had finished its review of the buyout so it can proceed if the Department of Justice also approves. Both agencies must review any deal worth more than $65.2 million, according to the FTC’s website.
Microsoft already has a Skype-like service called Windows Live. But Skype lets users of different kinds of computers and phones chat directly. – AP
