In an interview with ET, the Brazilian Secretary of Defence Products said that other areas of cooperation include the possibility of forming a Scorpene club of nations that produce and operate the submarines where best practices and technologies can be exchanged. The official was upbeat about the possibilities of joint development and production of weapon systems and said that the Brazilian companies are keen to partner with India. “When we look at India, we seek to work together so that we can also jointly develop finished products and use Brazil as a hub for selling these commonly developed products in the Latin American market,” Major-Brigadier Rui Chagas Mesquita, Secretary of Brazilian Defence Products said.
The senior official made a strong case for Embraer that is the frontrunner for an ongoing competition to supply Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) for the IAF, saying that the company has a history of creating joint ventures for manufacturing of aircraft abroad. He said the deal could even pave the way to make commercial aircraft in India in the future to meet domestic and export requirements.
“It is the most advanced platform and is able to meet and exceed all requirements of the IAF. Embraer also has a large experience in manufacturing civilian aircraft. It could also be explored in this joint venture together with India to make advanced civilian platforms,” he said.
The official added that Embraer – which is pitching its C-390 aircraft and will compete with Airbus and Lockheed Martin – is already scouting for Indian partners to manufacture the platforms. The secretary said that Brazil has acquired expertise from Swedish manufacturer Saab as well to manufacture Gripen fighter jets, which has added to the technical capabilities with its aerospace sector.
“We are also discussing the partnerships in the area of space and geo intelligence for image processing from satellites. And, we have talks on light weapons and ammunition,” he said. The official said that India and Brazil have discussed the possibility of partnering on the Scorpene submarine project as both nations are manufacturing the boats.
