Versão em português
Nastasia Barceló
More than 4,000 participants with the support of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Brazil demonstrated their products for the defense sector.
The 4th Brazilian Defense Industrial Exhibition (BID, for its Portuguese acronym), which featured new products for the defense sector, was held from September 27 to 29 at the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center in Brasília, including members of the Brazilian Armed Forces and the police, entrepreneurs, and representatives of civil society. There were many presentations at the exhibition, and notable among them were those which addressed the role of the Armed Forces in society.
The Brazilian Armed Forces were charged with giving various presentations to the business people and attendance. One presentation was entitled "Brazilian Army Directorate for Monitoring Restricted Military Equipment," while another presentation was devoted to the Armed Forces themselves.
The Brazilian college students were also able to learn more about the defense industry. Flávio Basílio, Secretary of Brazil's Defense Equipment Secretariat (SEPROD, per its Portuguese acronym), together with SEPROD directors Brigadier General Cláudio Moraes and Major General José Augusto Crepaldi, gave a presentation entitled "The Strategic Importance of the Defense Industry."
In addition, Brazilian and Chilean military relations were also strengthened. Brazil's Minister of Defense, Raul Jungmann, met with Brigadier General Arturo Merino Nunes, Supreme Commander of the Chilean Armed Forces, to discuss bilateral defense agreements. Brig. Gen. Merino had the opportunity to learn about the Brazilian defense industry's wide variety of products.
BID Brazil Exhibition's Relevance for the Defense and Security Sectors
“We had 92 companies at the Fourth BID Brazil Exhibition. That number exceeded our expectations, as it was a more than 15 percent increase over the previous exhibition," said Carlos Frederico Queiroz de Aguiar, president of the Brazilian Defense and Security Industries Association (ABIMDE, per its Portuguese acronym). “We are very excited with the success of this event and with the reception it received – both from the Brazilian business community and from military attachés and representatives of foreign governments who attended," he noted.
The businessman also spoke of the exhibition benefits including increasing investments in the defense and security industries following the product demonstrations. "Ever since the first BID Brazil Exhibition, the Brazilian industry has been securing important contracts with other countries, launching itself onto the international stage by demonstrating the quality of products developed locally. Also, this is an excellent opportunity for Brazilian companies to show their products to non-traditional buyers," he noted.
According to Queiroz de Aguiar, the BID Brazil Exhibition is extremely relevant. “Now in its fourth edition, the BID Brazil Exhibition has already established itself as one of the most important events for Brazil's defense and security sectors. We bring together a significant number of companies that operate in every area of the defense sector's chain of production. Due to the unique way in which it speaks directly to international decision-makers, the BID Brazil Exhibition has helped establish the Brazilian industry in foreign markets.”
There were opportunities at the exhibition to attend presentations hosted by representatives of the Brazilian Armed Forces, members of the academic community, and opinion makers. “Our event has a way of bringing academia and industry together for the purpose of finding synergies for the development of new technologies and solutions. That is why we will continue working with development agencies, research centers, as well university representatives. We are more and more interested in involving all transformational actors from across the Brazilian economy who are seeking to develop this sector sustainably,” Queiroz de Aguiar added.
Vice Admiral Carlos Afonso Pierantoni Gambôa, Executive Vice President of ABIMDE, noted that, “The exhibition has now become established as an event that for six years now, has had the goal of bringing together friendly nations, lawmakers, militaries, academics and specialist press outlets to showcase the prowess of our industry-based defense sector.”
Exhibition Venue for New Defense Products
According to Karen Gobbatto, a communications consultant at Rossi, a company that advises the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, "The exhibition was staged in a pavilion with 4,476 square meters of space for setting up stands, meeting rooms, and an auditorium. The exhibition site also had an outside area for vehicle and equipment demonstrations, as well as a space for product demonstrations where unmanned aircraft could be viewed in flight and vehicle movements could be observed.”
The exhibition included vehicular and armored vehicle presentations, as well as a flight demonstration. Practical demonstrations of non-lethal equipment were conducted in one area, using a "firing range" format. A live-fire simulator was also presented.
