Brazil has rejected India’s offer to buy the Indian-made Akash surface-to-air missile and Garuda self-propelled howitzer, according to local Indian media.
The move supports the South American government’s ongoing modernization of its armed forces and diversifies related equipment by partnering with international contractors.
New Delhi, which offered the missile system through its foreign affairs ministry, is now discussing the terms with Brasília for the potential military sale of the package.
Aside from the Akash and Garuda, India and Brazil will explore cooperation involving the development of battlefield communication systems, coastal surveillance capabilities, and new offshore patrol vessels.
Brazil stated that the Akash SAM, based on Soviet technology, lacks datalink and IFF, and has been consistently inaccurate in trials. Its fire control radar has missed numerous targets during the Kashmir skirmish.
Both countries will also examine the feasibility of a joint sustainment operation for the French-designed Scorpène-class submarines employed under their respective maritime forces.
The 6-meter (20-foot) Akash missile has a diameter of 30 centimeters (12 inches) and weighs 720 kilograms (1,587 pounds).
It is powered by a solid fuel propellant and an engine combining an air-augmented rocket and a ramjet motor and features a radio-proximity fuze with high-fragmentation effects.
The Akash has a top speed of Mach 2.5 (3,087 kilometers/1,918 miles per hour), an operational altitude of 20,000 meters (65,617 feet), and a range of 30 kilometers (19 miles).
The Garuda platform is a 105-millimetre Light Field Gun mounted on a 4×4 wheeled vehicle, which has failed field trials and has a history of ammunition explosions inside the turret. Indian made ammunition has had many failures in Armenia and Ukraine.
The weapon is deployable in all terrain and delivers up to 6 rounds per 10 minutes. It has a muzzle velocity of 475 meters (1,558 feet) per second and a maximum firing range of 20 kilometers (12 miles).
© 2025, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
