Russia to Export Pantsir Air Defense Systems To Brazil

MOSCOW-(IDB) :  Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms export agency wishes to engage outside of official tenders, to deliver its air defense missile system Pantsir to Brazil, said Sergei Ladygine, head of the Russian delegation at the International Defence Exhibition, SITDEF 2013 which takes place in Lima, Peru. At the Defence exhibition LAAD 2013, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, from the 9 to April 2013, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces General Jose Carlos De Nardi said, “We are interested in acquiring three batteries of Pantsir-S1 missiles and two batteries of Igla missiles.”  Russia has formally presented the systems for the first time during the Brazilian presidential visit in Moscow in December 2012. Timely delivery of the systems is critical to provide Brazil with the necessary air-defense assets it required to place for the visit in June of this year by the pope in Brazil.  The Pantsir-S1, produced by Russia's KBP Instrument Design Bureau, is a gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-optical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles, and is designed to take on a variety of targets flying at low altitudes. The Pantsir can engage targets up to 20 km (12 miles) by missiles and 4 km (2.5 miles) using cannons, KBP claims. The export version of the system, Pantsir-S1, has been sold to the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Algeria. Source : Army