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Accelerated Growth Of Brazilian Military Exports Draws Attention On The Global Scenario, Driven By Recent Wars, Market Diversification And Bets On National Technology, Even With Limited Domestic Budget And Lower Volume Of Internal Purchases.
Brazil has expanded its presence in the international defense and security market and reached a record level in 2025, with US$ 3.1 billion in authorizations for exports of products and services in the sector.
The amount represents an increase of 74% compared to 2024 and consolidates a cumulative advance of about 110% over two years, according to data from the Ministry of Defense.
The leap occurs in a scenario of increased global demand for military equipment and security solutions, driven by wars and geopolitical tensions that pressure defense budgets in different regions.
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At the same time, the country tries to balance the diplomatic discourse of promoting dialogue with the commercial expansion of an industry that has started to sell more and to a larger set of destinations.
Official data indicates that Brazilian products in the segment reached about 140 countries, distributed across five continents.
Among the main buyers mentioned are Germany, Bulgaria, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Portugal.
Market Diversification And Changing Buyer Profiles
One part of the explanation pointed out by sector representatives is the reduction of reliance on a few traditional markets.
According to Luiz Carlos Paiva Teixeira, chairman of the Board of Directors of ABIMDE, “Brazil has reduced its dependence on a few markets. European NATO member countries have increased their presence as clients, while we have advanced in the Middle East and Asia, opening spaces previously dominated by major world powers.”
In addition to the expansion of destinations, the export agenda has become more diverse, incorporating aircraft, vessels, armored vehicles, ammunition, radars, communication systems, and cybersecurity solutions for data protection.
The expansion is associated, in the sector, with the medium-term effects of the National Defense Strategy, launched in 2008, which aimed to strengthen the Defense Industrial Base and increase national control over sensitive technologies.
The consolidation of projects over the years has increased the capacity to offer competitive products at a time when external demand has accelerated.
External Growth Amid Internal Order Retraction
Although the advance of exports grabs attention, the industry faces the reduction in the pace of government purchases in the domestic market, especially after the economic crisis that began in 2014.
In this context, export has become a tool for sustaining projects and preserving productive capacity.
“We have new and sophisticated products being launched, but the Brazilian Armed Forces that ordered them are reducing or postponing orders. How to maintain these projects and companies? Through exports,” said Marcos Barbieri, a defense economics specialist and professor at Unicamp.
The Ministry of Defense attributes part of the result to the effort in commercial promotion and diplomatic articulation, with participation in international fairs, bilateral agendas, and closer ties between Brazilian companies and potential buyers.
The official balance considers authorizations for exports, an indicator that reflects the volume of approved business, even if not all correspond to immediate deliveries in the same period.
Embraer Leads International Showcase Of The Sector
Embraer emerges as the main showcase of Brazilian defense.
In 2025, the company recorded the largest order book in its history, with US$ 4.6 billion in the Defense and Security segment.
The highlight is the KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft, cited as one of the main responsible for the international projection of the national industry.
At the same time, other companies have expanded their offerings in areas such as armored vehicles, secure communication systems, and monitoring technologies, seeking to position the Defense Industrial Base as a supplier of higher value-added products.
For industry leaders, the ambition is for the defense industry to consolidate as a vector of technological development, with impacts that go beyond military use.
In this sense, Luiz Carlos Paiva Teixeira stated that the Defense Industrial Base “is moving towards no longer being just a supplier of equipment to becoming a strategic pillar of Brazil’s high technology.”
Brazil Advances In A World Of Increasing Military Spending
The Brazilian performance occurs at a time of strong expansion of global military spending.
A survey by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicates that global military expenditure reached US$ 2.718 trillion in 2024, with the largest annual growth since the end of the Cold War.
Despite the increase in exports, Brazil does not rank among the largest global players in the industry, dominated by the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany.
Domestically, estimates indicate that the country invests about 1% of GDP in defense, a percentage lower than that of nations with more robust military industrial chains.
Still, the Ministry of Defense states that the defense and security sector accounts for 3.49% of Brazil’s GDP and employs almost 3 million direct and indirect workers.
The equation that arises is how to maintain innovation and industrial predictability in a technology-intensive sector, with limited internal demand and increasing reliance on exports.
If Brazil has already managed to expand markets and accelerate external sales, what will be the path to transform this commercial advance into a sustainable long-term strategy?
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