Brazil has shown interest in buying India’s ‘Akash’ air defence system and ‘Garuda’ guns, among other defence systems. This information was given by a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to Brazil to attend the BRICS summit next week.
Eastern Affairs Secretary P. Kumaran said in a press conference that there will be discussion on furthering defence cooperation between India and Brazil. He said that both the countries are exploring possible avenues for joint research, technical partnership and training exchange. At present, it is being decided which defence platforms can be sold to Brazil, although no special progress has been made in this direction yet.
According to Kumaran, Brazil is showing interest in certain areas, such as secure communication systems in the battlefield, offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), and maintenance of Scorpene submarines – in which they want to work together with India. Apart from this, Brazil is also interested in Akash air defence system, coastal surveillance systems and Garuda guns.
Brazil also intends to set up joint ventures in defence production with India. Kumaran said that since Brazil has a strong position in Embraer and the entire aviation industry, there is a lot of potential for cooperation between the two countries.
The ‘Akash’ missile system is a medium-range surface-to-air system developed by DRDO, which can target fighter aircraft, drones, cruise and other missiles. It has a range of 25 to 45 kilometers and an altitude of up to 20 kilometers. It flies at a speed of Mach 1.8 to 2.5, making it a fast reaction system.
It played a key role during ‘Operation Sindoor’, when drone and missile attacks from Pakistan were successfully thwarted. It has been included in India’s multi-layered air defense system and its accuracy is considered quite effective.
The ‘Garuda’ artillery system is another indigenous weapon system, which is considered especially suitable for coastal and rapid deployment operations due to its fast mobility and precision strike capability.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a visit to Brazil from July 5 to 8, where he will attend the 17th BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro and also hold various bilateral meetings. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, during this eight-day foreign tour, he will also visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and Namibia.
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