Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Brazilian Nuclear Submarine Project, Ready the Way

Brazil plans to build the first nuclear submarine in 10 years will soon be implemented, though many skeptical opinions about the Latin American country's partnership with France.

President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, said the new shipyard facility inauguration recently specifically to be used for the construction of submarines, conventional submarines will be produced first in 2015 and the first nuclear submarine in 2025.

Ordebrecht Brazilian company is the lead local partner in a joint venture with the French shipbuilder DCNS. The project is based on Brazilian Navy facility in Sepetiba Bay, south of Rio de Janeiro.

 

The Brazilian government says the project will be funded with a budget of 3.9 billion dollars, but the independent industry analysts say it is unlikely that the cost also includes the cost of the project until the end - definitely less.

Brazil plans to build nuclear-powered submarines gaining momentum after it found a number of large reserves of oil and natural gas on the sea floor and the outer limit of the territorial waters of the country.

Brazil military planners said the quick response from the Navy needed to keep the country's wealth of oil with only conventional submarine would not be enough, should be with nuclear submarines. Brazil plans to build four conventional submarines and nuclear-powered submarines in the next decade.

Capital-intensive projects is also dependent on Brazil continues to have stable economic growth and many get income from the export of commodities such as energy and manufactured goods.

Brazilian confidence to carry out a multibillion-dollar project has been getting "hit" this year because of slowing growth and a decline in export earnings due to the over-valuation of the national currency.
 
"Brazil said there will be a transfer of technology from France in this project, but Brazil still wants to develop a nuclear reactor with its own technology"
 
But despite that, the Brazilian economy is the fifth largest in the world by nominal national income and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity. Officials say Brazil will be able to pay the expenses of defense, against the opinion of skeptics who said the Brazilian military spending over the next decade will be the economic and social burden for the 200 million inhabitants of Brazil.

Inaugurated the shipyard, Rousseff said, "This facility allows us to establish ourselves in the country the world stage, and develops in a way that sovereign and independent."

Neighboring Brazil and Argentina Chile has also announced an increase in military spending.

The shipyard will make the metal hull structure for four conventionally powered attack submarine electric Scorpene-class diesel submarines and a fifth will be powered by a nuclear reactor.

Brazil said there will be a transfer of technology from France in this project, but Brazil still wants to develop a nuclear reactor with its own technology. Critics had questioned the selection of Brazil as a partner is French, while better technology is in other countries (eg Russia). But Brazil said that in the end they want to develop their own technology.

Brazil has campaigned for a permanent membership in the UN Security Council, because of regional advantages. The entry of Brazil into the "club" of nuclear nations will put Brazil in the same status with the five Permanent UN Security Council members-the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and China. Another competitor for Brazil to get a permanent place in the Security Council is India.

Brazil has launched its nuclear program in the 1950s under the military dictatorship, and accused of trying to make weapons of mass destruction. U.S. pressure eventually forced the Brazilian military to abandon the project.

Brazil's best defense equipment manufacturers "Embraer" increasingly compete with U.S. defense companies and European defense equipment market. Last week, Embraer won the first contract from the U.S. military for the sale of 20 Super Tucano light combat aircraft which will be used in Afghanistan, despite fierce bids from other U.S. defense manufacturers. (FS)
 
Sources:
http://www.artileri.org/2013/03/proyek-kapal-selam-nuklir-brasil-siap.html

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