Raphael Machado
The lack of long-term strategic planning by the Brazilian state continues to keep the country fragile in the face of the USA.
In various articles we have authored here at Strategic Culture Foundation, we have commented on the strategic importance of the Brazilian company Avibras, manufacturer of the Astros missiles, as well as on its financial difficulties in recent years. Avibras was on the brink of bankruptcy, but has recently recovered, thanks to new orders from the armed forces, a lenient judiciary, and reasonable new administrators.
The latest news about the company, however, is that it has been acquired by Globe Investimentos, owned by the brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, better known as the owners of J&F Investimentos, which controls JBS, the largest meat and animal protein company on the planet. The acquisition, following the injection of 300 million reais (approximately 60 million dollars) made months ago to help the company, at first glance, puts an end to the dark cloud that hung over Avibras, even after its recent recovery. But what does this acquisition represent politically and geopolitically?
To recap, Avibras is one of the main companies in the Brazilian defense industry, being considered strategic due to its capacity to develop critical technologies, such as cruise missiles and rocket artillery systems. Its current main product, the Astros system, is internationally recognized and has been used in conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War, while its portfolio includes, among its projects, also a Tactical Cruise Missile (MTC-300) and a Tactical Ballistic Missile.
What breeds distrust in this acquisition of Avibras, however, are the deep connections that exist between the Batista brothers and their companies and the USA. For starters, JBS, owned by the Batista brothers, has a prominent presence in the USA, being responsible for offering 100,000 jobs and 25% of the meat supply for consumption. The Batista brothers, therefore, are already significant economic agents within the USA, with their companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2025.
More important are the international political connections of the Batista brothers. In early 2025, they donated 5 million dollars to Trump's inauguration, this being the largest individual donation made to the event, and hired Marc Kasowitz, Trump's former lawyer, as an advisor to their company.
The strategy seems to have borne fruit, since in mid-2025, when Trump announced special 50% tariffs against Brazil, it was the Batista brothers who paved the way for the rapprochement between Trump and Lula, which materialized for at least a few months, between late 2025 and the first months of 2026.
That same year, in November 2025, Joesley Batista flew to Caracas - reportedly with a briefcase of money - to offer Maduro the possibility of resignation and exile. The Batista brothers say the trip was made spontaneously, but it is hard to believe he would have dared to risk such a delicate mission if it had not been agreed upon with the governments of the USA and Brazil (which, incidentally, did not recognize Maduro after the last elections and had been in a situation of tension with Caracas). What proves, perhaps more objectively, that there are deep connections between the Batista brothers and the USA is the fact that J&F, owned by them, acquired in July 2026 the A&B Oil and Gas company, which operates 50% of Petrororaima in partnership with PDVSA to explore the Orinoco heavy oil belt.
It is common knowledge that after the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's oil sector is being overseen by the U.S. State Department, which now enjoys great influence over it. It is unlikely that strategic acquisitions of Venezuelan oil companies can be made today without the authorization of the White House.
As relations between Brazil and the USA cooled again in 2026, once more the Batista brothers acted to bring both countries closer together. Joesley managed a 40-minute conversation between Lula and Trump using his own cell phone and, later, in May, Lula flew on a jet owned by J&F to meet with Donald Trump in the USA.
Having established that the new owners of one of Brazil's main defense companies are figures connected to Donald Trump, it remains to speculate on the reason for this acquisition.
Brazil has started to pay more attention to its military modernization after the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Considering the geopolitical reality of the Americas, it is evident that Brazil is trying to rearm with a view to a possible threat posed by the USA. If Brazilian allies of the USA are acquiring Brazilian defense companies, then here is a clever move that nullifies the very purpose of Brazilian military modernization, which would be to prepare for the (however unlikely) hypothesis of a conflict with the USA.
This is the most logical and probable reason.
We can also reflect on other hypotheses. We know that the fact Brazil refused to help arm Ukraine caused international discomfort; and today, Ukraine suffers from a shortage of military supplies. The U.S. cut most direct aid but began to pressure other actors to take responsibility for aid. Could it be possible that Avibras starts being used to arm Ukraine ? Let us remember that it is not a state-owned company and, therefore, the Brazilian government would have little to do if that were the case.
Another problematic piece of information is the fact that, in recent months, Avibras began negotiating a partnership with Israeli Elbit, aiming to produce ATMOS howitzers for the Brazilian Army, which would strengthen the technological-military partnership between Brazil and Israel, something that would also be of interest to the Zionist lobby in the USA.
In short, the lack of long-term strategic planning by the Brazilian state continues to keep the country fragile in the face of the USA.