Wednesday, April 15, 2009

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.

No comments: