Folha Online - Ministério da Defesa do Brasil - Marinha do Brasil - NPSGlobal, 22 and 23 Dec 2008. 

The Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, presented this Monday the military agreement with France, which includes the construction in Brazil of five submarines – one of them with nuclear propulsion- and 50 helicopters. 

In the case of submarines, the political part has been already closed, and only values are pending of definition. France will provide the financing and will install a shipyard in Rio, where the vessels will be built.

Submarines’ structures will be in charge of the French company DCNS, which is an specialist in such kind of projects. The propulsion, pointed Jobim, will be in charge of the Brazilian Navy, which has already got the know-how.

Jobim stated that the decision of closing the deal with France, was mostly related to the possibility of absorbing technology, a fact not present in other countries' negotiations.

"For Brazil, on thing was to buy a turnkey submarine, and another quite different is to build it. We prefer to build it, he stated. It creates an immense technology and it generates employment all around.

A clear example is the helicopters’ deal, which will determine a significant expansion of Helibras, which will increase its personnel from 100 to 500 people, plus more than 5.000 indirect jobs."

Brasil has got experience building conventional submarines. Based on a former agreement with Germany, the country has already built 4 IKL-209s in AMRJ, the Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro. 

The choice of a strategic partner for the future development of the Brazilian submarine fleet comes from the wish to shorten required steps toward the nuclear propulsion vessel. In this sense, the Brazilian Navy coincided with Jobim in a yesterday's release stating that a potential agreement with Russia was also considered, but the decision was favorable to the French option, mostly due to the technology transfer factor.

It is clear that this technology transfer explicitly excludes the nuclear aspects themselves, and it is focused on the submarine's structure. Navy's release also comments the reasons behind the choice of the Scorpène class. In fact, such class would allow an harmonic evolution from  conventional designs to the more complex required for nuclear propulsion.

Finally the nuclear propulsion reactor, an exclusive responsibility of the Brazilian Navy,  is expected to become operative by 2013.

Related news:

"Brazil searchs U$S 3,6 billion dollars for the 5-submarine project"
Lula Says: “Brazil will get the nuclear submarine in the near future” and Sarkozy Wants to Help .

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