Brazilians Show Off Weaponry And Wares

Brazilians Show Off Weaponry And Wares

(NSI News Source Info) RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -April 15, 2009: The Latin America Aero and Defense exhibition, held every two years, is Brazil's best chance to show off the variety and quality of its defense industry, and the 2009 event is no exception. The country's exhibits are organized around a central focal point where Brazilian army, air force and navy officers are eager to explain to visitors the intricacies of current defense programs. At the center of the navy's exhibit is a large, half-model of a proposed nuclear submarine, which Brazil hopes to begin building in the 2020s. "France is helping us with conventional submarine design assistance, but the effort to design and build the nuclear reactor is entirely Brazilian," said Lt. Cmdr. (Engineer) Meisher Rodriguez, a naval officer assigned to the reactor development program. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) listens to his Defense Minister Nelson Jobim during a visit to French company Strength At Sea DCNS stand during the Latin American Aerospace & Defence Fair, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 14, 2009. The Brazilian navy hopes to have a land-based version of the submarine reactor up and running in 2014, Rodriguez said. Five reactors currently are operating in Brazil, three civilian reactors in Rio de Janeiro, and two research reactors in Sao Paulo, one for the navy and one for civilian use. The Brazilian air force also was showing off Project VANT, a small, unmanned aerial vehicle being developed jointly by the air force, army and navy with Avibras. Among the other Brazilian companies showing off their products here are aviation giant Embraer; Grupo Inbra Filtro's armored vehicles and light helicopters; precision-guided weapons and other munitions from Britanite IBQ Defence Systems; Emgepron naval shipbuilding and munitions; Indios non-lethal ammunition; Avibras unmanned aerial vehicles; and Bravio avionics.

Iveco To Unveil New Brazilian Armored Vehicle / World Preview Of Iveco’s New Military Vehicle At Next LAAD - Latin America Aero & Defense In Rio

Iveco To Unveil New Brazilian Armored Vehicle / World Preview Of Iveco’s New Military Vehicle At Next LAAD - Latin America Aero & Defense In Rio

(NSI News Source Info) April 8, 2009: IVECO will present the mock-up of the new Brazilian 6x6 armoured personnel carrier (VBTP-MR in Portuguese) at the forthcoming LAAD (Latin America Aero & Defense) Exhibition that will open on April 14th.

The mock-up is part of a contract signed in December 2007 between IVECO L.A. and the Brazilian MOD to co-develop a project which has been called Wheeled Medium Armoured Personnel Carrier– Basic Platform (VBTP-MR). The project will be supported by IVECO Defence Vehicles, situated in Northern Italy, which is dedicated to designing and manufacturing vehicles for military applications.

A mock-up of the six-wheeled VBTP-MR armored vehicle that Italy’s IVECO designed for the Brazilian Army with a view to local production.

With this support, the VBTP-MR vehicle will be developed and manufactured at IVECO LA’s Sete Lagoas plant in Minas Gerais (Brazil).

The prototype of the new Brazilian 6x6 armoured personnel carrier (VBTP-MR) will be delivered by the end of 2009, and will be extensively tested by the Brazilian Army starting from April 2010.

16 additional units will be produced and tested up to 2011, when a decision will be taken on a final order for a VBTP-MR fleet for the Brazilian Army.

The vehicles will then replace the EE-11 Urutu VBTP-MR fleet currently in use by the Brazilian Army.

The first 16 vehicles will be manufactured principally using imported components, but local content will be gradually increased to over 60% in order to reduce production and maintenance costs. IVECO believes that this can be achieved through the integration of its growing supplier base in Brazil, where the company produces around 15.000 trucks per year plus diesel engines. IVECO’s new VBTP-MR is a 18-tonne vehicle, with amphibious capacity at 17.5 tonnes. It is powered by a FPT diesel engine coupled to an automatic gearbox, and can carry a crew of 10 dismounts plus the driver. Outline specifications include a length of 6.9m, a 2.7m width and a height of 2.34m. It can be fitted with a variety of remote-controlled weapon stations and is airportable by C-130 Hercules.

Pietro Borgo, General Manager of IVECO Defence Vehicles, stated “The aim of the project is to develop a highly specialized knowledge base in military vehicles at IVECO LA and to establish an IVECO Defence Vehicles presence in Brazil which can become a partner for the Brazilian Army.” Alberto Mayer, Institutional Relations Director of IVECO Latin America, stated that the project is running according to the original plan. “We are working very well with our partners from the Brazilian Army. We believe this is an important and very promising project not only to meet this local requirement but also because it offers great export potential”.

IVECO Defence Vehicles is well known for the application of advanced automotive innovations and leading edge protection solutions to purpose-built designs, resulting in a full range of trucks, armoured, protected and multirole vehicles. IVECO Defence Vehicles’ plant is situated in Bolzano in Northern Italy, the site of the factory originally housing the prestigious producer of military vehicles, Lancia, was founded in 1937. The company has developed a vast international network giving life to a technical and commercial expertise at a world-wide level. IVECO Defence Vehicles boasts an organisation of dedicated research and development, having available a pool of vehicle expert engineers in the IVECO HQ in Torino.

The marketing, production and aftersales organisation are also based within the Bolzano Facility. Supporting these activities is an additional factory, based in Vittorio Veneto, a centre of excellence for protection. In recent years, IVECO Defence Vehicles has focused on meeting the demands both of its domestic Italian market and of export customers, The company’s success in this latter area in particular has been dramatic, with export sales growing from 20% of the total in the mid 90s to a figure of 70% today. More than 30,000 IVECO vehicles are now in military service worldwide.

IVECO designs, manufactures, and markets a broad range of light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, off-road trucks, city and intercity buses and coaches as well as special vehicles for applications such as fire fighting, off-road missions, defence and civil protection. IVECO employs over 24,500 people and runs 27 production units in 16 countries in the world using excellent technologies developed in 5 research centres. Besides Europe, the company operates in China, Russia, Turkey, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. More than 4,600 service outlets in over 100 Countries guarantee technical support wherever in the world an IVECO vehicle is at work.

IVECO Latin America is the fastest growing truck company in South America. The company operates from industrial bases in Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela and employs some 2.500 people in the region.

Colombia Wants To Join Embraer KC-390 Program / Colombia Wants Partnership With Brazil And Participation In Embraer Airlifter

Colombia Wants To Join Embraer KC-390 Program / Colombia Wants Partnership With Brazil And Participation In Embraer Airlifter (NSI News Source Info) BRASILIA - March 16, 2009: The minister of defense of Colombia, Juan Manoel Saints, was hosted here on Wednesday March 11 by the Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, and revealed his interest in a strategic partnership between the two countries. Embraer C-390 is a medium-sized twin-engined jet-powered military transport aircraft proposed by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. It will be the heaviest aircraft that the company has made so far, and will be able to transport up to 19 tons of cargo, including wheeled armored vehicles. Size-wise it is an aircraft between the twin-turboprop C-27J Spartan, with an 11.5 ton payload and the C-130J Hercules with a 21.7 ton payload. The aircraft will incorporate many of the technological solutions from the Embraer E-Jets series. The aircraft will have a rear ramp for loading and unloading a wide range of cargo. The unit price is estimated to be around $50 million US, while the competition sells similar models for up to $120 million. The vice president of Embraer, Luís Carlos Aguilar, said that according to their estimates, some 695 military transport aircraft in the world will need to be replaced during the next decade, and that there is potential market for this kind of plane. Potential power plant options have been studied in the 17,000–22,000lb-thrust (75.6–98kN) range, including engines such as Pratt & Whitney's PW6000 and Rolls-Royce's BR715. The Brazilian postal service, the Correios, has demonstrated interest in buying at least 5 and eventually 20 to 25 of the aircraft, in lieu of using commercial freight service for mail transport. In May, 2008, the Brazilian Congress released 800 million Reais (US$ 470 million) to be invested in the project and development of the aircraft. The media also claimed that this aircraft is not only going to be used by the Brazilian Air Force, but also for Brazilian Army and Brazilian Navy, but still not confirmed for government agencies. Early March of 2008: Brazilian Government is going to invest about R$60 mn(or US$30 mn) to inicial development of the aircraft. At the same time, the Brazilian Air Force is finalizing the purchase contract that problably will buy 22 to 30 aircrafts for the inicial lot. Embraer is talking with the possible partners.

Colombia wants to strengthen cooperation for monitoring its common border. It also wants to establish partnerships with Brazil in defense research and technology, and also wants to participate in the program to develop the Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft.

“Brazil is our strategic partner and we want to establish closer links and cooperation,” Saints said.

Saints and his delegation, comprising the commanders of the three Colombian armed forces, heard Jobim present Brazil’s new National Defense Strategy, launched in December 2008. The minister-head of the Secretariat of Strategical Subjects, Mangabeira Unger, complemented the communication. The National Strategy of Defense, according to Jobim, has as objective to reorganize the Armed Forces, to strengthen the national defense industrial base, and to improve military service.

“These three objectives are interlinked. It is not possible to think of the Armed Forces that are not tied to development, or of development that is not linked to the Armed Forces”, said Jobim. Nelson Jobim also said that the visit by his Colombian counterpart will provide advances in some areas of bilateral cooperation…..such as improving control of the airspace between the two countries, along a 50-kilometer band on both the sides of the border.

Juan Manoel Saints said that all the countries in the region must find alliances in strategic areas as, for example, in the military industry and for professional qualification. He cited the cases of the Super Tucano aircraft bought by Colombia from the Brazilian company Embraer, saying “we are very happy with Brazilian aircraft.”

The Colombian minister did not exclude the possibility of establishing, within the framework of these bilateral relations, a strategic alliance of the two countries’ defense industries.

In this perspective, Juan Manoel Saints said, one idea is to see how Colombia can participate in the production of the Embraer transport aircraft that Brazil intends to develop. “Anything that we can do in this respect with Brazil will be very positive, as the airplanes that we have bought from Brazil are very good,” he said.

Juan Manoel Saints said that, for Colombia, the relation with Brazil is of strategic convenience over the long term. “Therefore, everything that we can do to develop and reinforce this relationship is a very important decision,” he added.

According to Saints, bilateral cooperation could also include control of airspace, joint satellite programs, and border monitoring.