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10/23 at 22.25. A correction has been added to the text.
For the past week, residents of the futuristic capital of Brasilia turned their eyes to the sky and wondered where something is thundering. When the first test flight took place on Wednesday, it was just when a new judge was chosen for the Supreme Court. As Bolsonaro previously threatened to shut down HD, tensions escalated. Is a military coup underway? Only when the media wrote that it was Brazil’s first Gripen aircraft that broke the sound barrier, were the residents able to breathe a sigh of relief.
I was supposed to Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist was supposed to attend the ceremony, but at the last second canceled the trip due to an employee falling ill with Covid-19.
– That’s a shame. It was a priority trip. But as soon as we find a new date, I will travel to Brazil, Peter Hultqvist tells DN.
It has received several visits from Brazilian defense ministers, demonstrating the new relationship that Sweden has with the fifth largest country in the world. Besides the EU and NATO, Brazil is now Sweden’s main defense partner.
– The Gripen agreement is a key factor. It has opened up to much more, says the Swedish Defense Minister.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was present when the Gripen plane was inaugurated during a ceremony in the capital.
Photo: Sergio Lima / AFP
After Bolsonaro became president of Brazil, Swedish exports to the country increased by 19 percent. There are currently 200 Swedish companies with around 60,000 employees with a turnover of SEK 130 billion in Brazil. The fact that Bolsonaro is basically military has led him to increase defense spending. Last year, the defense budget was exceeded by 10 billion crowns, despite the fact that Congress has prohibited it from being exceeded. Next year’s defense funding is the highest in 20 years and has more than doubled the budget for school and health.
The fact that Bolsonaros Brasil is arming is something that Sweden benefits from. How does it feel to be part of that politics?
– I do not comment on the internal politics of Brazil. We have a long-term agreement that extends from 30 to 40 years into the future. Presidents come and go, says Peter Hultqvist.
For Saab, the 36 Brazilian planes the defense company’s largest settlement, worth SEK 40 billion.
– Business is very important. Together we make a new version of the Gripen. With the 60 aircraft that Sweden ordered, we created volume, says Saab CEO Micael Johansson during his visit to Brasilia.
The plane that flew over the guests during the air and air force day in Brasilia is made in Sweden and was flown by the Swedish pilot Marcus Wandt, but for some time 350 Brazilian technicians who participated in the construction of the plane have lived in Linköping for some time .
The first aircraft manufactured in Brazil will only be ready in two years. Of the 36 aircraft, only 15 will be manufactured in Brazil by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
– The advantage for Brazil is that we do a complete technology transfer. Together, we develop the plane further and can sell it to other countries, says Micael Johansson.
Brazil is a calling country with a high risk of corruption. A few years ago, the Swedish construction giant Skanska withdrew from Brazil because the company believed that it was not possible to sign pure agreements in the country.
Saab has also been criticized for having paid lobbyist Marco Marcondes, convicted of corruption, 16 million Swedish crowns during the hiring process to contact the then president of Brazil.
– I reviewed our agreements and found no errors. We have handled sales extremely strictly, says Micael Johansson.
If so In that case, it is highly unusual that Saab did not have to pay bribes to reach a settlement worth SEK 40 billion in Brazil. Two years ago, ten Embraer executives were convicted of bribery after selling the Brazilian attack plane Super Tucano to the Dominican Republic. The commanders had paid more than SEK 30 million to the Chief of the Dominican Republic Air Force.
One of Brazil’s leading experts on the Brazilian defense industry is journalist Igor Gielow from the country’s largest newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo. He has been touring with Gripen since 2001 when the first phase of acquisitions began and has tried to see where the money has gone.
– I’ve actually seen this deal, but didn’t find much. The only thing I found is that Saab used a notorious lobbyist in São Paulo, but that’s not enough. In a big business like this, it’s usually about completely different sums, says Igor Gielow.
He suspects that if bribes have been paid, they may have finished off the Brazilian Air Force.
– It is very difficult to know the air force. The military is standing firm. They do not rattle. Bribes become difficult to detect, says Igor Gielow.
And what is more The deterioration in transparency is that Bolsonaro militarized the government. Of the 22 ministers in the country, nine are now military. Not even during the military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985 did a Brazilian government have more generals.
– Bolsonaro only trusts the military and likes the military hierarchy.
The Department of Military Sciences of the King’s Brazil Institute in London is headed by the Brazilian Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho. He believes that the reason why the Brazilian defense is receiving more and more funds has to do with the fact that the military also has civilian tasks in Brazil.
– In Brazil, the navy is in charge of the coast guard. Not the police. All ports are also run by the military. Traffic controllers at the country’s civil airports are also manned by air force personnel. This means that a larger budget is needed, says Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho.
He is pleased that the Brazilian Air Force has chosen to invest in a modern combat aircraft system.
– It means an improvement of the defense. The previous plans we had are 45 years old, he says.
Fix – An earlier version incorrectly stated that Saab was suspected of being corrupt.
