Agreement over manufacture of super attack aircraft just one of many likely to come over next few days
Brazil’s defence minister said in Lisbon yesterday that Brazilian aeronautical company Embraer will produce the Super Tucano (attack) aircraft to NATO standards in a partnership with OGMA, Portugal’s aerospace company in Alverca (close to Lisbon).
José Múcio Ribeiro told reporters from the Tivoli Hotel in the capital, where a large delegation is accompanying a five-day visit to this country by Brazilian President Lula da Silva: “I came in the president’s team because there was going to be an Embraer agenda for the Super Tucano and the KC-390 (a medium-size, twin-engine, jet-powered military transport aircraft) that is positive for Brazil.”
According to Múcio Ribeiro, “the president wants to encourage the Brazilian defence industry and to increase investment in the defence industry”.
This is a slightly different stance to the one that caused controversy recently (in which the Brazilian president criticised allied countries for perpetuating the war in Ukraine) but it will take Embraer to new horizons.
Múcio Ribeiro explains, as it stands now the Brazilian Super Tucano does not have NATO characteristics.
Embraer already operates in Portugal, thus this partnership with OGMA, will change all that.
Another idea is to export the KC-390 – already produced by Embraer in Portugal – to other European countries, he said.
Beyond this aeronautical deal, the visit by President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva will take in a Luso-Brazilian summit (today) – with issues of the immigrant community under debate – and various meetings (with President Marcelo/ prime minister António Costa/ sundry business leaders).
The president is travelling with a significant number of ministers, including Culture, Transport, Health, Defence, Science and Technology, Racial Equality and Human Rights and Citizenship.
His last day (Portugal’s Abril 25 Liberty Day) will see him address parliament and then leave – before the traditional parliamentary ‘solemn session’ commemorating the occasion – for a similar official trip to Spain.
This alteration of original plans has defused another ‘political situation’ which arose when it was intimated that president Lula would make a speech during the solemn session.
