Brazil has requested to buy 100 FIM-92K Stinger Block I missiles. The package also includes gripstocks, engineering assistance, integration support services, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
The State Department said the proposed sale would enable Brazil to assume greater responsibility for its territorial security. It also said the acquisition would support counter narco-terrorist operations within Brazil’s borders and regional sphere.
The sale would improve Brazil’s ability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its air defence capability. The State Department said the acquisition supports Brazil’s defence modernisation efforts by helping secure South American airspace from illicit trafficking operations.
Brazil previously purchased 300 Russian 9K338 Igla-S man-portable air defence systems in 2010. The potential Stinger purchase could therefore support a shift towards Western short-range air defence systems, although the official notice did not describe it as a replacement programme.
The State Department said Brazil would have no difficulty absorbing the missiles and related services into its armed forces. It also said the proposed sale would not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors would be RTX Corporation, based in Arlington, Virginia, and Lockheed Martin, based in Syracuse, New York. The U.S.
