India, Brazil discuss stronger defence ties, from technology to information

India and Brazil are considering a slew of defence cooperation proposals ranging from collaboration on defence technology to sharing military information, top Brazilian defence official Rui Mesquita told Mint in an interview.

“Some areas of collaboration include proposals for the exchange of information and military technology, cooperation in capacity building and training, building partnerships in the development of defence systems and equipment, managing maintenance services, and strengthening the supply chain for our defence systems,” said Mesquita, who currently serves as Brazil’s secretary for defence products.

India has made a push to expand its footprint in Latin American defence markets, including through the sale of Tejas fighter aircraft to Argentina. Brazilian defence firms, including aviation major Embraer, have also ventured into the Indian defence market. 

Embraer and Mahindra Defence recently signed a memorandum of understanding to work on the Indian Air Force’s requirement for a medium transport aircraft. Embraer is looking to offer its C-390 Millennium aircraft, which is being used by the Brazilian and Portuguese Air Force, for this purpose.

Increased defence trade is a key priority for India as the government looks to boost India’s defence exports. This week, India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh announced that defence exports had reached ₹21,083 crore in 2023-24, a 32.5% growth over the previous fiscal year. In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would seek to export $5 billion in defence hardware by 2025. 

Mesquita stated that India and Brazil are also considering defence acquisitions. “At the moment, there are moves toward acquisitions, joint ventures between our strategic defence companies, and the provision of services,” he said.

Mesquita was in India for talks as part of the India-Brazil Sub Group on Defence, during which he met with senior Indian officials from the ministry of defence. In his interview with Mint, Mesquita pointed out that closer defence industrial ties could help both countries diversify their sources of equipment and reduce dependence on “traditional suppliers”.

Defence ties also featured in bilateral talks between Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in 2023.

“The leaders welcomed the increased defence cooperation between India and Brazil including participation in military exercises, exchange of high-level defence delegations, and substantive industry presence in each other's defence expositions,” the two nations said in a joint statement at the time. “The leaders encouraged the defence industries from both sides to explore new collaboration avenues and commence joint projects to co-produce technologically advanced defence products and build supply chain resilience.”