Brazil set to buy 36 hi-tech French fighter jets

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced on Monday after meeting French leader Nicolas Sarkozy that advanced contract talks were being held, though French maker Dassault Aviation said it did not expect a final accord until 2010.

France has been seeking a foreign buyer for the multi-role combat jet for more than a decade.

A Dassault spokesman said the company hopes to finalize the sale in 2010. Even though no final accord has been struck, a Dassault spokesman in Paris told AFP: "President Lula's declaration clearly means that the Rafale has won the competition."

He declined to put a precise value on the deal.

France has provisionally agreed to transfer the technology to be able to build the jets to Brazil. France is also to buy about 10 military transport aircraft Brazil's air force plans to build with Embraer, the national aircraft manufacturer.

The French company hopes the success will boost its chances in tenders made by India, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Libya and Greece.