Brazil will build an air-to-air missile with South Africa and buy nine used F-5 jet fighters from Saudi Arabia, a leading newspaper reported Sunday, citing military sources.
Brazil's air force will invest 100 million dollars to develop the short-range A-Darter type missile in a deal between Brazil's Mectron and South Africa's Denel Aerospace,the daily O Estado de Sao Paulo reported, citing air force commander in chief Carlos Bueno.
The nine used fighter jets from Saudi Arabia will cost 24 million dollars, the newspaper reported.
They will be upgraded using the same technology Brazil's Embraer is using to upgrade 46 other planes along with the Israeli company Elbit, according to the paper.
In July Brazil purchased 12 Mirage 2000 combat jets from France.
The missile project follows the passing of a law in 2004 authorizing the air force to shoot down aircraft used by drug traffickers over its vast territory. No such incidents have occurred since the law was put in place..
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is currently in South Africa for an event in Pretoria.
Source: Agence France-Presse
