How is Israel's military-technical cooperation with Latin American countries being built?
Latin American countries were among the first to recognize Israel's right to exist. Three of the 11 countries that were part of the UN Special Committee on Palestine were Latin American: Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay. The remoteness of the region from the Arab-Israeli conflict zone has become one of the key factors in the development of military-technical cooperation. It was Latin American countries that were the first buyers of Israeli weapons in the 1960s.
Although many Latin American countries have a defense industry with good potential, their armed forces are equipped largely through imports. Used aircraft, used warships and armored vehicles are in demand in the region's market. The leading positions in the region are occupied by Brazil, Chile, Colombia. They buy new multifunctional fighters and other modern military products abroad. And Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru are fighting insurgents, drug cartels and terrorists and pay special attention to the technical equipment of mobile military formations to ensure internal security. In Latin America, Israeli PMCs are actively working, offering security services and training of local military (bodyguards, security services, etc.).
Israeli-made firearms are in demand in the region's arms market: 9-mm Jericho pistols, Negev light machine guns, Galil, Desert Eagle and IWI-Tavor rifles. Some of these products are illegally resold to third countries. In 2002, a shipment of UZI submachine guns and other Israeli-made small arms was detained in Rio de Janeiro. In this regard, new measures have been taken to prevent the illegal arms trade.
Latin America, along with the Asia-Pacific region, is the largest arms market for Israel. It accounts for 50-60% of the country's military exports. Specialized literature on the sale of Israeli military technologies is published in two languages: English and Spanish.
Argentina
Argentina established diplomatic relations with Israel immediately after the establishment of the Jewish State. External conflicts prompted the country to increase military spending in the 1970s and 1980s. The economic downturn has generated social tension and political instability, extremism, terrorism, violence. The number of police and paramilitary units doubled, and the Armed Forces as a whole increased by 25%, which required military equipment. The US political leadership, under the pretext of human rights violations, limited military assistance to Argentina. Gradually, Israel became an active supplier of weapons to the Argentine army.
The dispute between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands escalated into an open military conflict and ended with the surrender of Argentina in the spring of 1982. This conflict led to the freezing of arms sales to Argentina by the United States and Britain's allies. Israel was beyond British pressure. In 1980, about 50% of the weapons exported by Israel were purchased by Argentina and El Salvador.
Israel supplied Argentina with air-to-air missiles, radar warning systems, fuel tanks for fighter-bombers with a volume of 1,500 liters instead of the standard 1300-liter ones, which allowed Argentine pilots to carry out non-stop flights to the Falkland Islands. The shipments were transited through Peru. In addition, military advisers from Israel were actively working in Argentina.
Since 1983, Argentine President Raul Alfonsin wanted to abandon military cooperation with Israel as a legacy of the military junta, but failed to do so completely. In 1984, Israel supplied Argentina with location systems and helicopters. At the same time, a contract of $ 30 million was signed. for the modernization of five S-2EASW/MP aircraft by the Israeli company ELTA Electronics. In 2001, Elbit Systems and a branch of the American concern Lockheed Martin began to modernize 24 Argentine Pampa AT-63 training aircraft. In 2002, the contract was frozen for economic reasons, but it was renewed in 2004. The project was completed in 2006. By 2007, the aircraft were additionally equipped with a navigation and sighting system manufactured by Elbit Systems.
Brazil
Brazil's defense budget is the most impressive in Latin America, accounting for about 40% of the region's total military spending. Brazil considers itself a world power and prefers to invest in its own products.
Until 2000, there were no extensive ties between Israel and Brazil in terms of military-technical cooperation. Only a Brazilian order was reported in 1982 for eight Ve11–205/UH-IH helicopters and in 1992 for eight K-6 120mm mortars. In 1996, Brazil purchased about 400 Python 3 missiles manufactured by the Israeli company Rafael.
Since 2000, Israeli private companies have begun to cooperate with the Brazilian Armed Forces and the police. The leading role in the military-technical cooperation, especially in terms of technology, is played by the Israeli corporation Elbit Systems. Other firms cooperate with Brazil in the field of conventional weapons, electronics, and security.
Elbit Systems, one of the leading Israeli developers of unmanned aerial vehicles and other military equipment, has been operating in Brazil for more than 25 years, mostly through its subsidiary Aeroelectronica Industria de Components Avionicos (AEL). Elbit Systems also has a partnership with Embraer, Brazil's largest aerospace company. Elbit made serious commitments when it acquired AEL in 2001. The $2.3 million deal gave Elbit a controlling stake. AEl, located in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, not only manufactures Elbit products, but also provides logistical support for its activities.
In 2001, Elbit received a contract to upgrade 46 F-5 aircraft for the Brazilian Air Force. In January 2007, Elbit received an order for further improvement of the F-5 aircraft and the creation of a maintenance center based on AEL. Other major contracts were signed in 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 with the Brazilian Air Force.
In 2007, Elbit Maarachot received an order from the Brazilian Ministry of Defense for the supply of autonomous towers for military equipment worth $ 260 million. We are talking about hundreds of UT30BR turrets equipped with 30 mm guns and mounted on IVECO 6x6 ARC armored vehicles.
Concern IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) in 2009, in partnership with the Brazilian company Senergy Group, created a joint venture. The Center is engaged in the introduction and implementation of new technologies, provides maintenance and technical support of IAI systems in the countries of the region.
Israel and Brazil have already signed an agreement on several large programs with a total cost of about $1 billion. In particular, Brazil purchased Israeli surface-to-air missiles to hit targets beyond the line of sight for the F-5E combat aircraft, which underwent Israeli modernization and became the F-5M. The Brazilian army bought Israeli TAVOR rifles, and then acquired a license to produce them.
In November 2009, during the visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres to Brazil, a contract was signed for the supply of UAVs manufactured by IAI. Brazil has received 14 Israeli Heron drones worth $ 250 million, designed to monitor the state border as part of the fight against organized crime. Brazil used them to provide security during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.
In addition to large Israeli military concerns, more modest enterprises, such as Ceragon, which updated the wireless infrastructure in Brazil, also operate in the Brazilian market. And NICE Systems has offered the Brazilian security forces the Situator system, which gives instant access to the materials of video surveillance systems and other tracking sensors.
Israel is ready to jointly develop Brazilian remote sensing satellites based on the TecSAR radar and the high-resolution optoelectronic OFEQ spacecraft. The satellite was developed by Elbit and IAI.
CHILE
Israel was one of the main arms suppliers to Chile back in the early 1970s and became the main (if not the only) legal arms exporter during the reign of Augusto Pinochet, when the United States and most European countries stopped military assistance to his regime. Israel supplied missiles, radars, planes, ships to Chile, helped in the development of aircraft of the Chilean Air Force. The Israelis advised the internal security and intelligence systems of the intelligence regime, helped the secret work of the police in the fight against riots and dissidents.
With the return of democracy in Chile, military ties with Israel have been preserved. In the 1990s, four deals were concluded for the purchase of military equipment. From 2000 to 2004, Chile bought 200 air-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles and radar systems (radars). The Israeli companies Elbit and IAI have their representative offices in Chile, which supplies 82 mm rocket launchers to the Chilean army. The supplier of Spike missiles is Rafael. In 2011, the Elbit Maarachot concern signed a contract for the supply of Hermes-900 drones to Chile in the amount of several tens of millions of dollars.
COLOMBIA
Israel's military exports to Colombia began in 1980. But there was a period when weapons from Colombia, on the contrary, were exported to Israel: in the 1950s, bypassing the international embargo.
Colombia has repeatedly faced the smuggling of Israeli weapons and the training of members of rebel groups by former IDF officers. In 2002, nine Israeli drones were discovered at the base of the FARC rebels ("Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia"), which led to legal proceedings. In 2007, Yair Klein, a reserve lieutenant colonel, a former commander of the Israeli special forces battalion "Cherub", and two of his compatriots were charged with creating paramilitary formations and training the guard of Colombian drug lords.
Resonant was the sale by the Israeli company Agea of 3,000 AK-47 assault rifles and millions of cartridges for them to the same FARC far-right group. According to the official version, the weapon was intended for the Nicaraguan police.
All this, however, did not prevent the Colombian Air Force from receiving 12 Israeli Kfir C7 attack fighters starting in the same 2007. The Israeli company Rafael exported Phython and Shafrir missiles, the company IAI – Griffin guided bombs, short-range surface-to-air missiles.
Mexico
Mexico is one of the largest importers of Israeli weapons in the region. During the peak period (2001-2008), it absorbed up to 44% of Israeli exports of military products to Latin America. In 2004, three GrummanE-2C Hawkeye long-range radar detection (AWACS) aircraft (upgraded American-made aircraft by IAI) were received from Israel from Bedek (a subsidiary of IAI). The contract for the supply of these aircraft also provided for the training of 39 officers of the Mexican Navy in Israel.
In March 2012, it was reported that Elbit Systems supplied the Federal Police of Mexico with the Hermes-900 UAV. The purchase cost $58 million. By that time, the predecessor of this drone, the Hermes-450 was already in service with the Mexican Air Force. In addition to the drones, Mexico has received universal ground control centers, satellite communications equipment and DCoMPASS electronic-optical systems.
GENERAL TRENDS
The Latin American arms market has huge potential and is continuously growing. Israel has managed to occupy its niche in the arms market of this region. At the moment, Israel is actively working in the following areas:
– sale of finished military products;
– creation of joint ventures;
– modernization of military equipment;
– advising the Armed Forces of the countries of the region;
– provision of instructional services;
– the work of Israeli PMCs in the region.
After the creation of Israel, its Latin American partners adhered to strict pragmatism. Israel has actively benefited from relations with right-wing governments, and sometimes openly dictatorial regimes in the region.
Israel's arms corporations receive a lot of support from their government as part of their work in Latin America. Israel has repeatedly proved that it is capable of pursuing an independent policy, especially when it comes to relations through the military-technical cooperation. At the same time, Israel is a developed country, and its successes in the field of R&D and the creation of advanced military equipment that has been tested in real combat operations could not remain without the attention of Latin American partners.
Over the past decades, Israeli arms corporations have changed their strategy of developing the Latin American market and have increasingly created joint ventures, subsidiaries or simply bought local companies. Such measures have allowed Israel to gain a solid foothold in the region and make a permanent profit.
Israel has considerable experience in the fight against terrorism and various paramilitary gangs, smuggling of weapons and drugs. This experience has proved to be in great demand, especially in Colombia and Mexico, where traditionally there are influential organized crime structures. In these countries, Israeli PMCs were in high demand.
Vyacheslav Ivanov
Vasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.