Brazil to Order 200+ Javelin Missiles

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of Javelin missiles and related equipment for $74 million.

In a statement, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Brazil requested to buy up to 222 Javelin missiles, FGM-148; and 33 Javelin Command Launch Units (CLU).

Also included in the package is Enhanced Producibility Basic Skills Trainers, missile simulation rounds, Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions Project Office technical assistance.

The prime contractors will be Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture, Orlando, FL, and Tucson, AZ.

Brazil's bid to acquire the missiles was originally made when former President Donald Trump, an ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, was in the White House. The State Department, under the Biden administration, gave a preliminary nod to the deal late last year, despite objections from some lower-ranking U.S. officials, Reuters reported citing people familiar with the matter.

But Democrats have vocally opposed the deal, criticizing Bolsonaro. Nevertheless, the sale has been approved, much to the discontent of some of Biden’s fellow Democrats.

A U.S. government source told Reuters that some officials “within State working levels” were hoping to stall the deal because of what they cited as Bolsonaro’s actions and rhetoric as well as some measures of the country’s military.

Elections are slated to be held in Brazil on October 2, and Bolsanaro risks losing his seat to the country’s former president, leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.