MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil and Russia sign agreement to develop jet fighter

Brazil and Russia signed an agreement on Tuesday to jointly develop top-line jet fighters and satellite launch vehicles. Strategic Affairs Minister Roberto Mangabeira Unger said the agreement will lead to the development of fifth-generation jet fighters that are built using sophisticated engineering, such as composite materials, stealth technology and advanced radar.

The agreement signed by Unger and the deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, Valentin Sobolev, includes the construction of rockets capable of hurling several kinds of satellites into space. Brazil builds its own small and medium-size rockets that are launched from the Alcantara base in the northeastern state of Maranhao. The base is considered an excellent launch site because it is located just 2.3 degrees south of the equator, the line at which the Earth moves the fastest, helping propel rockets into space with less fuel. Tuesday's agreement calls for advanced training in the field of cybernetics, which Mangabeira called "essential for the defense and the technological evolution of our industry". It also involves the transfer of technology, something Brazil has always insisted on. Earlier this year France said it would transfer technology to the Brazil for construction of the Scorpene attack submarine, helicopters and the Rafale fighter plane. The Scorpene is a conventional attack submarine, but Brazilian officials have said they want the diesel-powered vessel to serve as a model for the development of a nuclear submarine that would be the first in Latin America.