Brazilian authorities announced Wednesday it has decided to award a Swedish company a contract for the purchase of 36 fighter jets to modernize its air force fleet.

According to a source from Brazil's Air Force, the Brazilian government decided on Swedish company Saab's Gripen jets after inspecting the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by the U.S. aviation giant Boeing company and French Dassault's Rafale. The deal, worth 4.5 billion US dollars, has been struck after negotiations of about some 10 years.

The negotiations with the US were reportedly tense following revelations of U.S. spying on Brazil, while the Rafale jets were considered too expensive.

Defense Minister Celso Amorim said the Swedish company was given the contract based on a combination of factors concerning Gripen, including the fighter aircraft's performance, assurances of full technology transfer and overall costs.