The US is already lobbying against the Brazil-Russia partnership.
A traditional mouthpiece for American interests, Veja magazine scoffs at a possible partnership between Brazil and Russia in the area of defense; "the purchase or lease of Russian fighter jets would be a nightmare," says the publication; recently, a meeting between the Minister of Defense, Celso Amorim, and his Russian counterpart fueled rumors that the Brazilian Air Force may purchase Sukhoi fighter jets instead of the American F-18s; the game is serious.
247 - A multi-billion dollar negotiation, which has dragged on for four governments, for the purchase of fighter jets for the Brazilian Air Force has once again stirred powerful lobbies in the press. This weekend, Veja magazine, a traditional mouthpiece for American interests, positioned itself against a potential partnership between Brazil and Russia in the area of defense.
To get straight to the point, the publication states that "buying or leasing Russian fighter jets would be a nightmare." Veja defends Brazil's purchase of F-18 fighter jets, of North American origin, even without technology transfer. And it asserts that Barack Obama's spying on Dilma's government should not be an impediment, since Angela Merkel was also allegedly monitored.
According to the Abril publication, Defense Minister Celso Amorim has given impetus to a Russian proposal to lease Sukhoi fighter jets to Brazil starting in January 2014, which is reportedly causing "a mixture of disbelief and panic" within the Air Force.
In reality, the change of course doesn't bother the Air Force officers, but only the American government, which had taken the sale of F-18s to Brazil for granted.
Read below a Reuters report, published 15 days ago, about the rapprochement between Brazil and Russia:
Brazil strengthens defense ties with Russia and is expected to acquire an anti-aircraft battery.
BRASILIA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Brazil is set to acquire anti-aircraft batteries from Russia for $1 billion as part of a strategic defense partnership agreement between the two BRICS countries, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
Brazilian government officials said they expect to sign the contract by mid-2014 for the acquisition of Pantsir S1 and Igla-S short- and medium-range surface-to-air missiles.
In December, the country purchased 12 Mi-35 attack helicopters, known as "air tanks," in its first acquisition of military equipment from Russia. Traditionally, Brazil acquired this equipment from the United States and European countries.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is visiting Brazil and Peru to promote the sale of Russian weapons and has also offered Brazilian authorities the joint development of a fifth-generation fighter jet.
The Brazilian Air Force has been trying for a decade to buy 36 fourth-generation fighter jets to replace its obsolete fleet, but the Sukhoi Su-35 is not currently competing for a contract worth more than 4 billion dollars.
The selection process is underway and will not be reopened, said Defense Minister Celso Amorim after meeting with his Russian counterpart. The minister said he expects President Dilma Rousseff to decide "soon" between the F-18 Super Hornet, from the American company Boeing; the Rafale, from the French company Dassault; and the Gripen NG, from the Swedish company Saab.
Amorim told reporters that Brazil is interested in discussing the development of a fighter jet with new partners.
"It's a very substantial visit, because we discussed many aspects, including how to implement the strategic partnership agreed upon by our presidents," said the minister.
"It's not just a visit to buy this or that, or sell this or that, but it's also cooperation driven by a strategic vision --both countries are members of BRICS-- cooperation between them offers an alternative to other forms of cooperation that we wish to maintain, but which have to be balanced."
Amorim denied that the Russian minister had offered the Su-35 fighter jet to replace the Mirage fighters currently used by the Brazilian Air Force.
"We generally talk about combat aviation, and with regard to fourth-generation aircraft, there is a process underway that we hope will be finalized soon. Now, we are very interested in hearing about and discussing projects related to a fifth generation of aircraft with new partners. We will discuss it. We will see if it is possible."
Brazil is demanding that Russia transfer technology to Brazilian defense companies for the construction of anti-aircraft batteries without restrictions.
Cooperation in the defense sector between the two BRICS nations—a group that also includes China, India, and South Africa—includes the creation of working groups in the areas of cyber defense and space defense.
Cybersecurity has become a priority for Brazil since the disclosure that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) spied on Brazilian citizens, Dilma's personal communications, and Petrobras.
The purchase of the anti-aircraft battery is part of Brazilian efforts to improve the defense of the country's airspace before Brazil hosts major sporting events in the coming years.
The Russian missiles will not arrive in time for the 2014 World Cup, but they will be ready for the 2016 Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, the Ministry of Defense reported.