ABSTRACT
The search for technological, economic and political progress is a major preoccupation for any country, and in the case of Brazil this led to the growth of an arms industry such that, by the 1980s, war material had become a significant component in the country's exports. This chapter discusses Brazil's production of missiles and rockets which has always been, and continues to be, an important feature of its weapons exports. It addresses the common concern that Brazil's sounding rockets could be converted into ballistic missiles and thus boost the country's military and political prestige in and outside Latin America. Government support of companies entering the missile/rocket export market is usually motivated by political and economic factors; the former may range from regional to global security. In the case of Brazilian government entities, support for missile/rocket export is apparently seen as a matter of prestige, in that Brazil is able to pursue state-of-the art of technology.
