By Laís Dornelas
In the first nine months of this year, Brazilian exports of defense products totaled US$1.1 billion, 63% more than in 2022, when the country registered US$648.5 million in sales of defense products abroad. The accumulated figure for 2023 is the third best result when compared to the figures achieved in the 2013-2023 historical series. Among the most exported items in the year are weapons, ammunition, explosives and fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
This month, Embraer sold another five KC-390 aircraft to Austria and another five to the Netherlands, reaffirming the growth of the national defense industry, a sector that accounts for around 5% of Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generates 2.9 million direct and indirect jobs. Brazil is the largest exporter of defense products in South America.
“At the beginning of his administration, President Lula gave us a mission: to boost the Defense Industrial Base (BID), a sector that is extremely strategic for the country, with a high capacity for generating income and jobs. The results so far show that we are on the right track. With the New PAC, we will have more investments and, consequently, this will help us to further develop the Brazilian defense industry,” said Defense Minister José Mucio Monteiro.
PAC Defense – The resources earmarked for Defense through the New PAC total R$53 billion and will be used to equip the country with cutting-edge technologies and increase national defense capacity, as well as strengthening the Defense Industrial Base (BID), generating more jobs and income. The PAC’s Defense axis covers strategic projects for the Armed Forces, such as naval, land and air equipment and integrating systems.
The MD’s Secretary for Defense Products, Rui Chagas Mesquita, attributes the positive export results to the intensification of partnerships and commercial relations. “In order to reach this level, we work on the commercial promotion of our defense products, services and systems. We took part in fairs and exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, strengthened dialogue with the BNDES, a strategic partner, as well as the Ministry of Defense’s intense dialogue with the IDB, parliamentarians and development agencies. It is also important to highlight the high added technological value of our defence products, which are internationally recognized,” he said.
The IDB is a group of state-owned or private companies that participate in the research, development, production, distribution and maintenance of strategic defense products (goods and services) that contribute to the country’s security or defense objectives.
The IDB has 290 companies registered with the MD. The Brazilian portfolio consists of 1,365 products, such as aircraft, vessels, cyber solutions for data protection, radars, secure communication systems and armaments, among other high-tech items.