Avibrás Aerospace Industry
Avibrás Indústria Aeroespacial S.A.
Avibras Industria Aeroespacial S.A is a pioneer company in the aerospace field and is also a private engineering enterprise with more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace sector. Avibras offers a large array of high - technology products for the civilian and military markets.
Engineers associated formerly with the CTA created Avibrás as a private aerospace firm. In 1964 Avibrás was granted the Sonda I rocket contract and since then has been the major firm involved with the development of sounding rockets (Sondas II, III, and IV). It also took a leading role in developing missiles.
The São Paulo company Avibrás was famous in the 1980s, after the export of its Astros-II to Iraq during the war with Iran. Exporting these systems and receiving some orders from the Brazilian army, the Avibras continued to develop and to perfect its products, surviving to the end of the Cold War.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Avibrás worked almost exclusively with the manufacturing of rockets and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), such as the Astros II, in addition to developing antitank and antiship missiles.
At its peak, Avibrás employed 6,000 people. In early 1990, Brazil's two major manufacturers, Engesa and Avibrás, filed for a concordata [the equivalent of chapter-11 bankruptcy]. Avibrás paid off much of its debt, and is involved in the production of primarily civilian products.
With the significant sale of the Astros-II to Malaysia, this opened new ways for the company which is practically the only one of the branch in Brazil.
Avibras sought to enter in the market of aircraft, and for this signed a partnership with the Sukhoi for the supply the Air Force Brazilian of the Su-35 fighter under the FX competition. Brazilian rocket and missile maker Avibrás Aerospacial SA signed a deal on 21 January 2002 with Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport to produce Sukhoi fighter jets in Brazil if the Russian company wins a contract from the Brazilian air force.
by 2009 AVIBRAS was well-positioned to work with any of the various platforms under discussion. There was an internal division between pilots and engineers in the Air Force where there is a philosophical debate over what is in Brazil's national interest: a proven fighter capable of multiple missions or an un-proven platform such as the Gripen upon which Brazil can plus up a relatively small defense industry. Even if the debate was resolved in favor of the F-18, the inability to add indigenous technology to the fighter could doom its sale.
The three keys to a successful bid for this program are: 1) a good product, 2) clarity in the rules and how access to technology will be granted, and 3) political support. Boeing had to clear the second and third of these three key areas. While it was clear the F/A-18 was the best performing and best tested system, this could actually hurt the bid as it was obvious the Brazilian Air Force wants an independent role in helping to develop some of the technologies for the plane. AVIBRAS was uniquely positioned to integrate Brazilian made weapons systems onto the platform.
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