Avibras, the Brazilian defense manufacturer based in Jacareí, São Paulo state, completed this week another stage in the certification of its Tactical Cruise Missile (MTC), a weapon with a range of up to 300 kilometers, in a test launch conducted with the Brazilian Army at the Marambaia proving ground in Rio de Janeiro. The test came days after the announcement that brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, owners of the J&F group, the holding behind meatpacker JBS, intend to take control of the company.
According to Avibras, the test met the goals set for this stage and marks progress in the missile's certification. The MTC is part of the Astros artillery system, developed by the company and operated by the Army, within its line of smart munitions, a set that combines vehicles, launchers and different types of ammunition. Teams from the manufacturer and from military bodies took part in the launch, including the Army's Projects Office (EPEx), the Manufacturing Directorate, the Military Institute of Engineering (IME) and the Army's Technological Center (CTEx), according to G1.
Specialized outlet DefesaNews reported that the stage was led by the Army's Evaluation Center (CAEx), the body in charge of testing and certifying military materiel, attended by its chief, General João Paulo Zago, and by General Marcelo Gurgel do Amaral Silva, manager of the Astros-Fogos Strategic Program. The MTC uses a turbofan engine and high-precision navigation, the outlet said, and certification will continue with further trials before final approval.
Financial crisis and the sale to the Batista brothers
The progress comes as Avibras tries to recover from a financial crisis that idled its Jacareí plant. In a filing to Cade, Brazil's antitrust regulator, obtained by G1, the company said it had no revenue at all in 2025. Avibras has been under court-supervised restructuring since 2022 and faced a workers' strike that lasted more than three years over unpaid wages and benefits. During the reorganization, its industrial and technological assets were folded into a new structure, Nova AVB, and the Jacareí unit resumed operations in May 2026.
The deal announced on August 21 provides for Globe Investimentos, the Batista brothers' personal investment vehicle, to buy 100% of Nova AVB, the controller of Avibras Aeroco. The transaction value was not disclosed, and the change of control still requires Cade approval. In its filing, Globe called the deal an opportunity to enter the national defense and aerospace sectors. Before the announcement, Joesley Batista had already taken part in a R$ 300 million fundraising round to restart the company, coordinated by the Fundo Brasil Crédito.
For the supply chain, the test sequence signals that the Jacareí plant and its suppliers have concrete demand again after years of stoppage: Avibras has been recertified by the Defense Ministry as a Strategic Defense Company and received President Lula in July, when he said the government intended to increase orders. For the buyer, the Army, certifying the MTC would give Brazilian artillery a homegrown long-range precision munition, reducing reliance on imports, with export potential for the Astros system.