The 12 aircraft used for the defense of Brasilia’s airspace, were purchased in France in 2005 for $80 million, with the capacity to fly for five years. On December 31, 2013 at 0:00 they will no longer be operational.

“A logistical effort was made and we were able to prolong their service life for two more years. They were supposed to cease operation in 2011,” an unidentified FAB’s spokesman stated.

In addition, it will not be possible to sell the aircraft in the international market. The fighters would be used by the FAB while the multibillion dollar purchase of 36 new aircraft is being negotiated, in order to renew the FAB’s fleet.

Defense Minister Celso Amorim said the decision, which has been postponed several times, will be announced before the end of the year. “The government is conscious of how urgent the FX-2 project is,” to renew the fleet, Amorin stated in April.

The substitution of the Mirage-2000 in December is being analyzed by a working team, the spokesman added.

Six to 12 U.S. F-5M fighters modernized by the Brazilian company Embraer, might be taken to Anapolis Base (Goiás, Midwest), in order to temporarily replace the Mirage, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo informed.