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The Brazilian Army held the Unmanned Systems Symposium of the Land Force on Wednesday (27) in Brasília, where seven companies presented attack, bombing, and surveillance drones to the High Command. The Brazilian Army has already qualified 37 companies, 33 of which are national from nine states, in the competition for contracts for armed drones and remotely piloted munitions, and the next phase of tests will take place at the War Arsenal of Rio de Janeiro. The first Drone Battalion will be created in Taubaté, with systems costing about 90 million dollars each.
The Brazilian Army has just shown the public a fraction of the drone arsenal it intends to incorporate in the coming years. At the Unmanned Systems Symposium of the Land Force, held in Brasília, seven companies presented to the High Command drones and land technologies for attack, bombing, and surveillance. The event is part of a larger process: the Brazilian Army has already qualified 37 companies, 33 of which are national from nine states, competing to supply armed drones and remotely piloted munitions to the Force, with the next validation phase scheduled for the War Arsenal of Rio de Janeiro in the coming months.
The commander of the Brazilian Army, General Tomás Paiva, used the symposium to declare that “we perceive threats in South America” and to argue that the Force needs to “increasingly employ technology” to protect the borders. The Chief of Staff, General Francisco Montenegro, traveled to Turkey in April to study how the country operates its drones 24 hours a day in a complex network that covers the entire Turkish territory. The Turkish reference is significant: Turkey is one of the largest global powers in the development and military employment of drones, and the Drone Battalion that the Brazilian Army will create in Taubaté will follow a similar model.
The drones that the Brazilian Army wants to buy
According to information from the Ministry of Defense, the Brazilian Army’s plan involves developing and acquiring four systems of three drones from categories 2 and 3, the most powerful in range and load capacity. Generals estimate that each system will cost around 90 million dollars, a value that includes the aircraft, ground control stations, onboard sensors, and maintenance logistics.
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The drones presented at the symposium include systems like the TAS, by Taurus Armas, a quadcopter equipped with tactical armament in calibers 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, and 9 mm, initially presented at LAAD Defence in 2025 and reintroduced at the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia. Other companies like Mac Jee and Aero.ID have already demonstrated reconnaissance and attack drones to the Brazilian Army in previous presentations at the Rio War Arsenal.
The first Drone Battalion of the Brazilian Army
The Land Force Transformation Policy, approved in April 2026, mandates that all echelons of the Brazilian Army start operating unmanned systems. The first Drone Battalion will be created in Taubaté, São Paulo, with a subunit in Rio de Janeiro focused on shorter-range drones for surveillance.
The battalion will function as an instruction center, training specialists throughout the Force. Smaller drones from categories 0, 1, and 2 will be directly distributed among brigades, companies, and platoons, enhancing real-time reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack capabilities. The Brazilian Army aims to maintain 20% of the military personnel at the highest level of readiness, and the presence of drones at all operational levels is part of this goal.
The 37 companies competing for the contracts
Of the 37 companies qualified in the information request phase, 33 are Brazilian from nine states. The Brazilian Army is investing in the national Defense Industrial Base to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, and armed drones and remotely piloted munitions have become a priority because they change the way targets are located, tracked, and hit more quickly.
The next phase of the process will take place at the War Arsenal of Rio de Janeiro, where companies must present prototypes and operational demonstrations. The Rio Arsenal has already received previous presentations of national drones and will be the center for technological validation. The notice with participation rules, deadlines, and provisions is available on the website of the Brazilian Army’s Directorate of Manufacturing. The combination of Force demand and industry participation can stimulate technical knowledge and the maturation of national suppliers in technologies that today dominate the global battlefield.
What changes in the combat doctrine of the Brazilian Army
The Transformation Policy recognizes that the battlefield has become “more transparent and lethal with the proliferation of sensors, unmanned systems, and precision fires.” The Brazilian Army now treats wars as multidomain conflicts involving simultaneous operations in terrestrial, aerial, maritime, space, cyber, and informational environments, and drones are the link that connects all these domains.
The plan foresees investments until 2040, with priority in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, electronic warfare, and long-range precision operations. For the Brazilian Army, recent conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have shown that drones have ceased to be support and have come to occupy a central role in combat, and the Force cannot be left behind in this transformation.
Did you know that the Brazilian Army is creating a drone battalion and that 37 companies are competing for armed systems contracts? Do you think Brazil needs to invest more in military drones or are there bigger priorities? Tell us in the comments.
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