Brazilian Long-Range Missile in Final Stage, Says Defense Minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Minister of Defense Fernando Azevedo e Silva, said yesterday in Manaus that the project to develop a Brazilian missile capable of traveling 300 kilometers to its final target is “in its final development stage”.

“There is very little left for it to complement the Brazilian Army’s rocket artillery, providing a great deterrent power,” the Minister answered when asked about the current stage of production of the AV-TM 300 Tactical Missile – the development of which is in progress, along with the SS-40 Guided Rocket, is part of the Astros 2020 Strategic Project, launched in 2011 during the Dilma Rousseff administration, which at the time granted R$45 million in credit for the acquisition of a whole new high mobility system capable of launching missiles and rockets over long distances.

With a range of up to 300 kilometers and a precision of up to 30 meters, the system developed by the state-owned company Avibrás will increase Brazil’s military power, exceeding the limits of national territory and reaching strategic targets far beyond the capacity of the rockets currently in use in Brazil. Currently, the Astros rocket family comprises four models with smaller ranges that vary between 30, 40, 60, and 80 kilometers.

The main goal of the AV-TM 300, as the Minister suggests when mentioning the “deterrent power” of armament, is to discourage eventual external threats. In addition, the Astros 2020 project provides other initiatives to equip the country with “means capable of providing long-range fire support with high precision and lethality”. Among these initiatives is the deployment of military missile and rocket units, an instruction center, and administrative bases.

The initial plan was for the first AV-TM 300 units to be delivered to the Army later this year, but when asked about the deadlines, Silva said he believed in the “possibility” of delivery between 2021 and 2022.

Drill

A battery of the Astros 2020 multiple rocket launcher system, already in use by the Army, has been moved from Formosa (GO), about 90 kilometers from the center of Brasília (DF), to the region of Manaus, where, until September 23rd, Armed Forces personnel are taking part in a military drill coordinated by the Army.

Called Operation Amazon, the training involves some 3,600 military personnel and simulates an attack outside the Amazon region. “I was impressed by the strategic concentration of the means, particularly the Brazilian Army,” commented the Minister of Defense, who visited the region on Monday, September 14th, to monitor the military drill.

According to Silva, it took two months to carry the battery of the rocket launcher system belonging to the 6th Group of Missiles and Rockets from Formosa to close to the Amazon capital. “It took two months of displacement until it was positioned at the training points. This proves the mobility of the Army means”.

Present at the drill, Army Commander Edson Leal Pujol stressed the importance of the Brazilian military being able to operate in the region. “The preparation to be ready to defend this corner of the Nation is extremely important. It is a great effort, but it is our duty to Brazilian society to be prepared and trained if one day there is a need to defend our Amazon. For everything it represents in terms of mineral wealth, biodiversity, for the economy and for the life of Brazilians,” said Pujol.

Source: Agência Brasil