Defence industrial cooperation between South Africa and Brazil was highlighted at the recent III Brazil Defence Industrial Base Show (III Mostra BID-Brasil, as it is known in Portuguese), held in Brazil’s capital city, Brasília. The Brazilian Ministry of Defence (MD) highlighted, on its website, a presentation made at the show by Armscor GM: research and development Trevor Raman. Armscor is South Africa’s defence acquisition (and research and development) agency.

In his address, entitled ‘Brazil-South Africa: Opportunities for Technology Development Partnerships’, Raman pointed to the success of the joint programme between South Africa and Brazil to develop the A-Darter missile. This is a fifth-generation infrared homing air-to-air missile (originally conceived by South African defence company Denel Dynamics, part of the State-owned Denel Group). He affirmed that the next step was to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries and seek to make products that would be competitive in the global market.

“This [A-Darter] project was challenging for the two countries because, with it, we have seen how far we have the capacity to reach,” he stated. “Now, we need to unite our technology research bases in order to succeed in inserting this and other products into the market, not only for Brazil and Africa, but for the rest of the world.

“When you develop complex products, it is necessary to understand that it is impossible to do everything on your own,” he affirmed. “For this reason, it is important that the two countries, with good opportunities, unite and can complement each other. In this way we will become stronger.”

MD Science and Industrial Technology Department head General Aderico Mattioli noted that both countries still experienced some difficulty in transforming technologies they have developed into marketable products. This made it very important to develop partnerships, such as the one with South Africa, so that technological innovation can result in the manufacturing of products. “To break into the space occupied by the developed countries, we have to be competitive, which is only possible with innovation and economies of scale and, jointly, we can do this.”

Raman was part of a South African delegation that visited Brazil to attend the III Mostra BID-Brasil and to be informed about the Brazilian defence and aerospace industries. The aim was to seek new business opportunities and deepen bilateral scientific, technological and defence partnerships. The delegation included representatives of the South African Ministry of Defence, Denel and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, as well as Armscor. They also visited the São José dos Campos Technology Park in the city of the same name in São Paulo state, a site that hosts high-technology companies in the aerospace, health, information technology and energy sectors, as well as the Brazilian Air Force’s Aerospace Science and Technology Department and Aeronautics Technology Institute.

The only other African country attending the show that was highlighted by the MD was Angola. This is because Angola and Brazil signed an agreement in terms of which the South American country will provide full support for the Angolan Naval Power Development Programme, which will transform the currently insignificant Angolan Navy into a force capable of patrolling the country’s waters and guarding against piracy and terrorism.

One of the key results of the agreement will be the construction of a new shipyard, some 200 km south of the Angolan capital of Luanda. The project will use technical assistance, materials and equipment from Brazil. The employees in the shipyard will also be trained by Brazil.

The second key outcome is that Angola will acquire seven Brazilian-designed 500 t coastal patrol vessels, which will greatly strengthen the Angolan Navy’s operational capabilities. Four of these will be built in Brazil and the other three in the new Angolan shipyard. The vessels will be designed by an agency of the Brazilian Navy, the Naval Projects Management Company (known as Emgepron). The Brazilian Navy will also provide training for their crews. No dates for the completion of the shipyard or the delivery of the patrol vessels have yet been released