Brazil in 2026 will very likely order Italian EMADS air defense systems, a joint development of European consortium MBDA where conglomerate Leonardo has its share.
As Brazilian CNN writes based on its own sources, Army Chief of Staff Francisco Humberto Montenegro signed an internal document establishing requirements for acquiring such air defense systems in a way that excludes any competitors. Primarily, this concerns preventing procurement of Akash air defense systems from India, which was long named as one of the candidates.
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However, EMADS itself is only slightly less exotic due to very limited prevalence. This air defense system is also known as Land Ceptor and is a land option for using naval CAMM anti-aircraft missiles. In the land version, it is ordered only by Great Britain, though it is also important to add that Poland integrated CAMM missiles into its own Narev and Pilica+ air defense systems.
Overall, EMADS, belonging to medium-range air defense systems, provides target engagement up to 25km with regular CAMM and up to 45km using CAMM-ER at altitudes up to 10km. The missile uses radio command guidance system in initial flight phase and active radar seeker in terminal phase. The system is flexible regarding radars with stated use of Giraffe AMB from Swedish Saab or Kronos from Italian Leonardo.
It may seem this air defense system choice is quite strange. After all, current European air defense bestsellers are IRIS-T from German Diehl and Norwegian-American NASAMS, which have a very important mark effectiveness verified in real combat.
But choosing EMADS for Brazil can quite possibly be considered pragmatic. Specifically, this air defense system is also known as Land Ceptor and is a land option for using naval CAMM anti-aircraft missiles. Because in 2024, Brazilian Navy chose Sea Ceptor naval air defense system with these missiles to arm its new Tamandaré-class corvettes. Thus Brazil became their third customer after Great Britain and New Zealand.
And thus ordering EMADS (Land Ceptor) for Brazil is about unification. Because Brazilian Navy and ground forces will then receive air defense systems with identical ammunition. Brazilian media also writes that the procurement agreement with Europe includes technology transfer and production localization at Embraer facilities.
The latter, together with possible credit payment terms and quite close Brazilian defense ties specifically with Italy (for example, Italian Iveco in Brazil mass-produces Guarani VBTP-MR 6×6 armored vehicles), may have been decisive in choosing the contractor.
Overall, according to available information, Brazil plans to purchase up to three air defense systems (fire units) to cover the country's capital, São Paulo, and an undisclosed facility in the countrys north. The deal is valued at 3.4 billion reals about €430 million, but system composition and missile quantities are unknown.
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