There is a kind of beautiful disorganization at this bustling arms trade exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. Sure, my taxi driver is instructed by gate guards to drop me off next to a garbage dump behind the convention center, but security lets me walk through the exhibit hall hours before it opens -- and even before I've collected my press pass! And, yes, the press room is cramped and crowded, but it's left shockingly unlocked overnight, allowing early-risers like myself access to a decent internet connection and all the bottled water I can drink!
Without further ado, here are photo highlights of my favorite Latin American arms bazaar.
1. Dassault's futuristic stealth bomber:
It's only an artist's concept, but this vision (see bottom left-corner, below) of a French fifth-generation strike aircraft definitely caught my attention. The slide appeared during Dassault's press briefing on the Rafale. I didn't have my best camera, it was a dark room, and I had a bad angle, so this is the best I could do with the image. It makes you wonder what else Dassault is thinking about after the Rafale and the unmanned nEUROn demonstrator.
2. Brazil's scramjet-powered, hypersonic waverider:
This is no scale-model. It's a full-scale mock-up of the 14-X, which the Brazilian air force's research laboratory hopes to launch for the first time in 2013. Read my news article for more details about this fascinating project.
3. Foliage-penetrator UAV
The US is apparently not the only country with a foliage penetration radar. OrbiSat, which has been acquired recently by Embraer, has been flying the SARVANT unmanned air vehicle for about three years on plantation surveying missions. The 140kg UAV with 20h endurance is packaged with a 35kg synthetic aperture radar with X- and P-band scan modes.
4. Is this Brazil's future hunter-killer UAV?
I still haven't received details about this project, but AviBras' signage indicates that the Brazilian air force has funded development of the Falcao UAV. Local news reports have said the Falcao's first flight should be this month, but I have not been able to confirm that with AviBras or the Brazilian air force. It's presented as a surveillance-only UAV, but I suspect there are a few hard points inside the wing.
5. Finally ... Just for fun!
Without further ado, here are photo highlights of my favorite Latin American arms bazaar.
1. Dassault's futuristic stealth bomber:
It's only an artist's concept, but this vision (see bottom left-corner, below) of a French fifth-generation strike aircraft definitely caught my attention. The slide appeared during Dassault's press briefing on the Rafale. I didn't have my best camera, it was a dark room, and I had a bad angle, so this is the best I could do with the image. It makes you wonder what else Dassault is thinking about after the Rafale and the unmanned nEUROn demonstrator.
2. Brazil's scramjet-powered, hypersonic waverider:
This is no scale-model. It's a full-scale mock-up of the 14-X, which the Brazilian air force's research laboratory hopes to launch for the first time in 2013. Read my news article for more details about this fascinating project.
3. Foliage-penetrator UAVThe US is apparently not the only country with a foliage penetration radar. OrbiSat, which has been acquired recently by Embraer, has been flying the SARVANT unmanned air vehicle for about three years on plantation surveying missions. The 140kg UAV with 20h endurance is packaged with a 35kg synthetic aperture radar with X- and P-band scan modes.
4. Is this Brazil's future hunter-killer UAV?I still haven't received details about this project, but AviBras' signage indicates that the Brazilian air force has funded development of the Falcao UAV. Local news reports have said the Falcao's first flight should be this month, but I have not been able to confirm that with AviBras or the Brazilian air force. It's presented as a surveillance-only UAV, but I suspect there are a few hard points inside the wing.
5. Finally ... Just for fun!
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