The Brazilian Army is modernizing its fleet by obtaining vehicles equipped to launch missiles, including the country’s first Tactical Cruise Missile.
Brazil’s Army Project Office (EPEx), created in 2012, evaluates, proposes, coordinates, and integrates efforts toward the realization of the Army’s large-scale, technologically, and financially complex strategic projects. So far those projects have included
Guarani, Cyber Defense, Air Defense, Proteger, Recop, Astros 2020, and Sisfron.
Diálogo is presenting each of the projects, their objectives, challenges, and new developments in a series of weekly reports. This week’s report features the Astros 2020.
The Brazilian Army is preparing to receive nine new modernized vehicles equipped to launch missiles, including the country’s first Tactical Cruise Missile. The vehicles, which will be delivered by June, are part of the strategic Astros 2020 project.
Created in 2011, Astros 2020 provides for the delivery of a modern artillery apparatus capable of allowing the Army to join the other Armed Forces in the development of Brazil’s deterrent capacity.
That apparatus includes Tactical Cruise Missiles, Guided Rockets, an integrated simulation system (SIS-ASTROS 2020) and a new headquarters for the artillery complex – Fort Santa Bárbara.
Modernizing an aging fleet
Until mid-2014, Brazil had 38 vehicles whose missile launch systems were incompatible with the use of the new weapons developed by Astros 2020, said project head Major General José Júlio Dias Barreto.
To transform its artillery force, the Army signed a contract with Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial to modernize its aging fleet and acquire new MK6 launcher vehicles. Last June, the firm delivered the first nine new MK6 vehicles, and Brazil ordered 20 more. Astros 2020 provides for the acquisition of 50 new vehicles and the modernization of the entire aging fleet.
“The first lot of modernized vehicles will be delivered by June of this year. The second lot is under production. These two lots are each composed of six Universal Multiple Launchers (AV-LMU) and three Rearming Vehicles (AV-RMD),” Maj. Gen. Barreto said. “The modernized vehicles will have the same capacity and same operational ability as the new vehicles, with the ability to launch the Tactical Cruise Missiles and the Guided Rockets that are under development.”
The Military expects to double the capacity of its long-range firepower system by 2020, with about 100 vehicles in its two groups: the 6th and the 16th Missile and Rocket Groups.
“The number of vehicles that are being modernized and acquired still won’t be sufficient, but it’s a significant step towards strengthening the national defense,” Maj. Gen. Barreto explained. “It’s an immense upgrade. Under the National Defense Strategy, the plan is to equip three groups. But this third group isn’t included in Astros 2020. It will happen after, between 2020 and 2030.”
The Army is planning to deploy the Astros 2020 system in two operations scheduled for the latter half of 2015. One is Operation Atlântico, which also involves the participation of the Navy and the Air Force, with a mission to conduct training and increase interaction among the Armed Forces. The other operation will be conducted by the Western Military Command, which is headquartered in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul.
New vehicles are used for Military training
The new MK6 vehicles completed in 2014 were delivered to the Formosa Training Field, located in the state of Goiás (in the Brazilian Midwest). Since then, they have been used to train the professionals who will operate them.
In April, the Army’s second training session on the use of this equipment will be carried out by the Rocket Artillery Instruction Center, located at the training facility. The first round of training took place last year.
In addition to the drills conducted at the Formosa location, the Army is moving forward with the project to develop the SIS-ASTROS 2020 simulation system. The aim is to ensure the comprehensive training of the Soldiers who will operate the vehicles.
“The vehicle controls are as complex as those of a plane,” Maj. Gen. Barreto said. “The simulation system consists of a set of equipment that will allow for a precise replication of the missile and rocket launch process from the vehicles.”
Budgeted at $9 million reals ($2.9 million), the simulator project is being carried out through a partnership between the Army and the Federal University of Santa Maria. The aim is to complete the operational systems and equipment hardware by 2018, and then hire a specialized company to build the simulators.
Tactical Cruise Missiles and Guided Rockets in testing phase
The new vehicles are just one component of the Army’s upgrade to its artillery force. For example, this year the Military is planning a series of tests for the Tactical Cruise Missile and the Guided Rocket.
The missile has been under development since 2012 and is expected to be ready by 2018, with a range of 300 kilometers and a warhead with an explosive payload of 200 kilograms.
The Guided Rocket is expected to be completed in 2016. The main advantage of this type of weapon is its precision. Brazil currently operates with an area saturation system in which the launched rocket winds up destroying the entire region where the target is located. With the Guided Rocket, it will be possible to strike a specific location.
“Having this equipment makes us more prepared to defend our national territory,” Maj. Gen. Barreto explained. “We often say that even though we’ve spent 100 years without going to war, we can’t spend one minute being unprepared for war.”
New projects at Fort Santa Bárbara
Brazil’s Armed Forces are preparing a new facility that Military authorities expect to be completed by 2020; it will serve as the headquarters of the artillery complex. The facility, Fort Santa Bárbara, is being built at the same location as the Formosa Training Field, in the state of Goiás, 70 kilometers from Brazil’s capital city, Brasília. The facility and its location meet the defense guidelines that seek to position the Army’s strategic reserves in the center of Brazil, where they can more easily be deployed to different regions of the country.
The Fort will house six units; two are already under construction and should be completed by 2016: the Missile and Rocket Artillery Instruction Center, and the Missile and Rocket Logistics Center.
“In 2015, we’re going to sign a contract to start work on the unit that will house the 16th Missile and Rocket Group and the Artillery Command Administration and Support Base,” Maj. Gen. Barreto said.
Also in 2015, the architectural designs will be made for the Army Artillery Command Headquarters. “The only pending project will be the Target Search Battery, which will be subsequently completed,” Maj. Gen. Barreto added.
Brazil’s Army Project Office (EPEx), created in 2012, evaluates, proposes, coordinates, and integrates efforts toward the realization of the Army’s large-scale, technologically, and financially complex strategic projects. So far those projects have included
Guarani, Cyber Defense, Air Defense, Proteger, Recop, Astros 2020, and Sisfron.
Diálogo is presenting each of the projects, their objectives, challenges, and new developments in a series of weekly reports. This week’s report features the Astros 2020.
The Brazilian Army is preparing to receive nine new modernized vehicles equipped to launch missiles, including the country’s first Tactical Cruise Missile. The vehicles, which will be delivered by June, are part of the strategic Astros 2020 project.
Created in 2011, Astros 2020 provides for the delivery of a modern artillery apparatus capable of allowing the Army to join the other Armed Forces in the development of Brazil’s deterrent capacity.
That apparatus includes Tactical Cruise Missiles, Guided Rockets, an integrated simulation system (SIS-ASTROS 2020) and a new headquarters for the artillery complex – Fort Santa Bárbara.
Modernizing an aging fleet
Until mid-2014, Brazil had 38 vehicles whose missile launch systems were incompatible with the use of the new weapons developed by Astros 2020, said project head Major General José Júlio Dias Barreto.
To transform its artillery force, the Army signed a contract with Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial to modernize its aging fleet and acquire new MK6 launcher vehicles. Last June, the firm delivered the first nine new MK6 vehicles, and Brazil ordered 20 more. Astros 2020 provides for the acquisition of 50 new vehicles and the modernization of the entire aging fleet.
“The first lot of modernized vehicles will be delivered by June of this year. The second lot is under production. These two lots are each composed of six Universal Multiple Launchers (AV-LMU) and three Rearming Vehicles (AV-RMD),” Maj. Gen. Barreto said. “The modernized vehicles will have the same capacity and same operational ability as the new vehicles, with the ability to launch the Tactical Cruise Missiles and the Guided Rockets that are under development.”
The Military expects to double the capacity of its long-range firepower system by 2020, with about 100 vehicles in its two groups: the 6th and the 16th Missile and Rocket Groups.
“The number of vehicles that are being modernized and acquired still won’t be sufficient, but it’s a significant step towards strengthening the national defense,” Maj. Gen. Barreto explained. “It’s an immense upgrade. Under the National Defense Strategy, the plan is to equip three groups. But this third group isn’t included in Astros 2020. It will happen after, between 2020 and 2030.”
The Army is planning to deploy the Astros 2020 system in two operations scheduled for the latter half of 2015. One is Operation Atlântico, which also involves the participation of the Navy and the Air Force, with a mission to conduct training and increase interaction among the Armed Forces. The other operation will be conducted by the Western Military Command, which is headquartered in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul.
New vehicles are used for Military training
The new MK6 vehicles completed in 2014 were delivered to the Formosa Training Field, located in the state of Goiás (in the Brazilian Midwest). Since then, they have been used to train the professionals who will operate them.
In April, the Army’s second training session on the use of this equipment will be carried out by the Rocket Artillery Instruction Center, located at the training facility. The first round of training took place last year.
In addition to the drills conducted at the Formosa location, the Army is moving forward with the project to develop the SIS-ASTROS 2020 simulation system. The aim is to ensure the comprehensive training of the Soldiers who will operate the vehicles.
“The vehicle controls are as complex as those of a plane,” Maj. Gen. Barreto said. “The simulation system consists of a set of equipment that will allow for a precise replication of the missile and rocket launch process from the vehicles.”
Budgeted at $9 million reals ($2.9 million), the simulator project is being carried out through a partnership between the Army and the Federal University of Santa Maria. The aim is to complete the operational systems and equipment hardware by 2018, and then hire a specialized company to build the simulators.
Tactical Cruise Missiles and Guided Rockets in testing phase
The new vehicles are just one component of the Army’s upgrade to its artillery force. For example, this year the Military is planning a series of tests for the Tactical Cruise Missile and the Guided Rocket.
The missile has been under development since 2012 and is expected to be ready by 2018, with a range of 300 kilometers and a warhead with an explosive payload of 200 kilograms.
The Guided Rocket is expected to be completed in 2016. The main advantage of this type of weapon is its precision. Brazil currently operates with an area saturation system in which the launched rocket winds up destroying the entire region where the target is located. With the Guided Rocket, it will be possible to strike a specific location.
“Having this equipment makes us more prepared to defend our national territory,” Maj. Gen. Barreto explained. “We often say that even though we’ve spent 100 years without going to war, we can’t spend one minute being unprepared for war.”
New projects at Fort Santa Bárbara
Brazil’s Armed Forces are preparing a new facility that Military authorities expect to be completed by 2020; it will serve as the headquarters of the artillery complex. The facility, Fort Santa Bárbara, is being built at the same location as the Formosa Training Field, in the state of Goiás, 70 kilometers from Brazil’s capital city, Brasília. The facility and its location meet the defense guidelines that seek to position the Army’s strategic reserves in the center of Brazil, where they can more easily be deployed to different regions of the country.
The Fort will house six units; two are already under construction and should be completed by 2016: the Missile and Rocket Artillery Instruction Center, and the Missile and Rocket Logistics Center.
“In 2015, we’re going to sign a contract to start work on the unit that will house the 16th Missile and Rocket Group and the Artillery Command Administration and Support Base,” Maj. Gen. Barreto said.
Also in 2015, the architectural designs will be made for the Army Artillery Command Headquarters. “The only pending project will be the Target Search Battery, which will be subsequently completed,” Maj. Gen. Barreto added.
The Armed Forces of our beloved and weakened Brazil, is in my view, the only worthy, honorable and serious institution in this sea of sludge that plagues our homeland. I think all of this is wonderful. now we need to moralize our beloved country How do I send news of ongoing fraud, gang activity in Campo Grande and throughout the state? Very good THIS IS OUR GIANT THAT NEVER SLEEPS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ARMED FORCES, ARMY AND AIR FORCE.
PRIDE OF ALL BRAZILIANS WITH A CAPITAL “B”.
MAY GOD BLESS THIS GIANT.
(Y) It is the Armed Forces of a country that guarantee the defense capability of a country and institutions. It is also the only way to be respected by other countries always involved in war invading other nations. Brazil needs to assume its important place in Latin America and the world. The Armed Forces are certainly of utmost importance and have a crucial role now and in the future. The need is urgent to modernize the Armed Forces, who also ensure our sovereignty. The greatest weapon that a country has is the culture of its people. Let’s look at the statement from Toshio Doko, President of Keidaran, in 1960: “We don’t have natural resources or military power, we only have one natural resource, which is our brain. Thus, we must develop it, use it, educate it, train it, and equip it, so that we have a future through the simple use of the nature of things, the common good, more fruitful and most precious of all mankind”. (Thus, the development of post-war Japan is justified). I liked the report. Congratulation to the Brazilian Army, like the statement says, 100 without war. But, we have to be prepared. Congratulations on the new anti-aircraft equipment and rocket launchers, and ideally produced in Brazil. Congratulations Army of Brazil. The Brazilian Army is what remains of respect in Brazil today. An Army can go a hundred years without a fight, but can’t go a single minute without being prepared. Rui Barbosa.