Indian air chief in Brazil to deepen defence ties

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, who heads the Indian Air Force, Tuesday left for Brazil on a bilateral visit when he will inspect the production of Embraer planes for India's indigenous airborne early warning system.

As Air Chief Marshal Browne inspects the last two of the three EMB-145 planes under this order, the first plane would reach India Wednesday to enable the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to carry out systems integration on the plane.

According to an IAF release here, the IAF chief will during the visit call on Brazilian Defence Minister Celso Amorin, apart from his counterpart Air Lieutenant Brigadier Juniti Saito and Brazilian Army commander General Enzo Martins Peri, to discuss bilateral issues of defence cooperation towards broader military ties.

The Indian air chief is scheduled to visit the Brazilian Air Force Academy at Pirassununga, Sao Paulo, its First Training Squadron and other training facilities, besides interacting with the cadets.

He would also visit the Anapolis airbase of the Brazilian Air Force and the Embraer facility located at Sao Jose dos Campos.

India had about half a decade ago sanctioned a DRDO programme for design and development of three EMB-145 aircraft based Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) to meet operational requirement of the IAF.

Embraer had delivered the first of the three planes to IAF three days ago at their facility in Brazil.