US still interested in Brazil warplanes: official The United States remains interested in a possible purchase of light attack aircraft made by Brazil's Embraer despite an embarrassing cancellation of a contract this week, a top US official said Thursday. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, on a visit to Rio de Janeiro, said the contract cancellation was not a reflection on the Super Tucano aircraft, which was to be used in Afghanistan. "Embraer is a great company and the Super Tucano is a very fine aircraft," he told reporters in Rio. The US is now in the midst of some internal processes but we remain interested. The comments came days after the Pentagon cancelled a $355 million contract with US firm Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazil's Embraer, and announced an investigation after a legal challenge from rival American aerospace firm Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Burns said there was no link between that contract and a tough bidding war in Brazil for 36 air force fighter jets. US-based Boeing is battling for the deal worth between $4-7 billion with France's Dassault and Swedish maker Saab. "They are two separate issues," Burns said. We're convinced that the (Boeing) F18 is the best available aircraft. One thing that reflects that is that it's the aircraft the US is going to be using for the next 20 or 30 years," he said. We're convinced that the technology transfer package that we're offering along with that aircraft is unprecedented in our relationship and is also the best of the available packages. On the Embraer contract, US General Norton Schwartz said the Air Force would move "quickly" to relaunch the contest for 20 light support planes for the Afghan military as funds for the program will expire at the end of fiscal year 2013, and called the decision to cancel an embarrassment. But the US Air Force said it was not "satisfied" with the paperwork and announced a review of the award. The US military wants to provide a light aircraft for Afghanistan's air fleet to conduct flight training, aerial reconnaissance and combat support operations for ground troops. The AT-29 Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft designed for low-threat environments. However Hawker Beechcraft Corp, based in Wichita, Kansas, protested the award, arguing that its AT-6 plane was unfairly shut out of the competition. Embraer officials denied the allegations but were unable to stop a government investigation.