TSAMTO, May 16. According to Indian media reports, a delegation of the Indian Defense Ministry will arrive in Brazil at the end of this month to explore the possibility of joint production and development of various types of weapons.
As reported by Defensa.com, among the proposed weapons is the BrahMos-NG missile (BrahMos-NG; "new generation"), a smaller version of the BrahMos cruise missile developed jointly with Russia to arm Su-30MKI fighters (in the case of Brazil, the JAS-39 Gripen).
The new missile has the same range as the basic version (290 km) and the same speed – 3.5 M (currently the fastest cruise missile in the world), but has smaller dimensions and weight, and is also equipped with a new radar with AFAR. India claims that the BrahMos-NG radar has less radar visibility, which makes it difficult to detect it. DRDO plans to start testing BrahMos-NG in January 2024.
While the original version of the missile was recently successfully tested from the Su-30MKI fighter, the NG version, which is planned to be produced from mid-2025, is designed to arm Indian light fighters LCA "Tejas" Mk.1 and Mk.2 manufactured by HAL. At the same time, it should be noted that the Brazilian JAS-39 Gripen have similar dimensions to the Tejas (the Swedish Gripen is slightly larger than the Indian Tejas).
According to Atul Dinkar Rane, CEO of BrahMos Aerospace and Chief Scientist of the Defense Research and Development Organization of the Ministry of Defense of India (DRDO), several countries have requested additional information about the BrahMos rocket, including Brazil.
According to the plans, Brazilian Gripen-NG fighters will be equipped with Meteor and IRIS-T air-to-air missiles. As air-to-ground cruise missiles, the local company Avibras is working on creating an aerial version of the AV-TM 300 "Matador", which will receive the designation MICLA (Misil de Crucero de Largo Alcance). This development within the framework of the PEMAER program (Plano Estrategico Militar de la Aeronautica) will allow Brazil to join the group of less than 15 countries producing similar systems.
At the moment, the payload of the new MICLA rocket has not yet been determined. The concept of the ground version assumes the possibility of equipping a warhead weighing from 200 to 500 kg, which is the culmination of the ASTROS army program.
Considering that in the case of MICLA, the development of the rocket will be completed no earlier than 2030, the BrahMos CD may possibly become a transitional solution until it receives its own version of the CD.
Among other possible agreements in the field of procurement or joint production of Indian weapons are: rocket launchers, armored vehicles, armor protection and helmets, infrared sights and night vision devices, surface-to-surface missiles, light combat helicopters, as well as the modernization of frigates and patrol ships (recently, the Goa Indian shipyard participated in a competition to equip the Brazilian Navy with light frigates under the Tamandare project).
In addition, the Indian delegation will visit the enterprises of the Brazilian company Embraer, which offers to supply India with a tactical military transport aircraft / tanker KC-390 "Millennium". Last month, representatives of the Brazilian manufacturer confirmed to Indian media that the KC-390 was offered to the Indian Air Force instead of or in addition to the purchase of six more American C-130J "Super Hercules".