I remember in the Falklands war (Guerra das MAlvinas) how surprised the generals and admirals were with Argentina's offensive capability. Even Peru (with Mig 29s and real combat helicopters) has, in some respects, much better, more modern effective combat equipment than Brazil. In 1997 a squadron of American F-16s from Luke Airforce Base in Phoenix went to the FAB base in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul for joint exercises. The Brazilian F-5s and AMX A-1s were hopelessly out-classed.
ARMY
Total Armed Forces
Active: 337,800 (133,500 conscripts).
Terms of service: 12 months (can be extended by 6 months).
Reserves: trained first-line: 1,115,000; 400,000 subject to immediate recall.
Second-line: 225,000.
220,000 (incl 126,500 conscripts);
HQ: 7 Military Comd, 12 Military Regions.;
8 div (3 with Region HQ);
1 armd cav bde (mech, 1 armd, 1 arty bn);
3 armd inf bde (each 2 inf, 1 armd, 1 arty bn);
4 mech cav bde (each 3 inf, 1 arty bn).
12 motor inf bde (26 bn);
1 mtn bde;
2 "jungle" bde (7 bn);
1 frontier bde (6 bn);
Equipment
Light Tanks: some 566: some 150 M-3, some 80 X-1A, 40 X-1A2 (M-3 mod); 296 M-41B; Recce: 409 EE-9 Cascavel, 30 M-8; APC: 823: 219 EE-11 Urutu, 20 M-59, 584 M-113; Towed Arty: 377: 105mm: 285, incl M-101/-102, Model 56 pack; 155mm: 92 M-114; SP Arty 105mm: 72 M-7/-108; Coast Arty: some 240 incl 57mm, 75mm, 120mm, 150mm, 152mm, 305mm. MRL: 108mm: SS-06; 108mm: SS-40; 300mm: SS-60 incl SP; 4 ASTROS II; Mortars: 81mm; 107mm: 209 M-30; 120mm: 77; ATGW: 300 Cobra; RCL: 57mm: 240 M-18A1; 75mm: 20 M-20; 105mm; 106mm: M-40A1; AD Guns: 20mm; 35mm: 50 GDF-001; 40mm: 60 L-60/-70 (some with BOFI);
NAVY
58,400 (incl 1,250 Naval Aviation; 15,000 Marines and 2,000 conscripts); 5 Oceanic Naval Districts plus 1 Riverrine; 1 Comd; Bases: Ocean: Rio de Janeiro (HQ I Naval District), Salvador (HQ II District), Natal (HQ III District), Belém (HQ IV District), Rio Grande do Sul (HQ V District); River: Ladario (HQ VI District), Manaus; Submarines: 4: 1 Tupi (Ge T-209/1400) with 533mm TT (UK Tigerfish HWT); 3 Humaitá (UK Oberon) with 533mm TT (Tigerfish HWT); Principal Surface Combatants: 21; Carrier: 1 Minas Gerais (UK Colossus) CVS (ASW), capacity 20 ac: typically 6 S-2E ASW ac, 4-6 ASH-3H hel, 3 AS-332 hel and AS-355 hel; Destroyers: 6: 2 Marcílio Dias (US Gearing) ASW with 1 Wasp hel (Mk 46 LWT), 1 x 8 ASROC, 2 x 3 ASTT; plus 2 x 2 127mm guns; 4 Mato Grosso (US Summer) ASW, 4 with 1 Wasp hel, all with 2 x 3 ASTT; plus 3 x 2 127mm guns; Frigates: 15: 1 Greenhaigh (Ex UK Broadsword) with 4 x MM-38 Exocet SSM, Seawolf MOD 4 SAM; 4 Pará (US Garcia) with 1 x 8 ASROC, 2 x 3 ASTT, 1 x Lynx hel; plus 2 x 127mm guns; 4 Niterói ASW with 1 Lynx hel, 2 x 3 ASTT, Ikara SUGW, 1 x 2 ASW mor; plus 2 x MM-40 Exocet SSM, 1 x 114mm gun; 2 Niterói GP; weapons as ASW, except 4 x MM-40 Exocet, 2 x 114mm guns, no Ikara; 4 Inhaúma, with 1 Lynx hel, 2 x 3 ASTT, plus 4 x MM-40 Exocet, 1 x 114mm gun; Patrol and Coastal Combatants: 29: 9 Imperial Marinheiro PCO, 1 Grajaú PCC, 6 Piratini (US PGM) PCI, 3 Aspirante Nascimento PCI (trg), 4 Tracker PCI, 6 Riverine patrol: 3 Roraima and 2 Pedro Teixeira, 1 Parnaíba; Mine Warfare: 9: 6 Aratú (Ge Schütze) MSI, 3 (UK River) MSI; Amphibious: 4: 2 Ceará (US Thomaston) LSD capacity 350 tps, 38 tk; 1 Duque de Caxias (US de Soto County) LST capacity 600 tps, 18 tk; 1 Mattoso Maia (US Newport) LST capacity 400 tps, 500 tons vehicles, 3 LCU, 11 LCM, 35 LCVP; Support and Miscellaneous: 23: 1 Marajó AO, 1 Almirante G. Motta AO, 1 repair ship, 1 submarine rescue, 4 tpt, 9 survey/oceanography, 1 Brasil trg, 5 ocean tugs; Naval Aviation: (1,250); 29 armed hel; ASW: 1 hel sqn with 5 ASH-3A (Sea King), 6 SH-3D; Attack: 1 with 5 Lynx HAS-21; Utility: 2 sqn with 5 AS-332, 7 AS-350B (armed), 8 AS-355 (armed); Training: 1 hel sqn with 13 TH-57; ASM: AS-11, AS-12, Sea Skua; Marines: (15,000); Fleet Force: 1 amph div (1 comd, 3 inf bn, 1 arty gp); Reinforcement Comd: 5 bn incl 1 engr, 1 SF; Internal Security Force: 8 plus regional gp; Equipment RECCE: 6 EE-9 Mk IV Cascavel; AAV: 12 LVTP-7A1; APC: 28 M-113, 5 EE-11 Urutu; Towed Arty: 105mm: 12 M-101, 10 L118; 155mm: 6 M-114; Mortars: 81mm: incl 2 SP; RL: 89mm: 3.5-in M-20; RCL: 106mm: M-40A1; AD Guns: 40mm: 6 L/70 with BOFI. SAM: 2 Roland II; Helicopters: 36 SA-365, 20 AS-550 Fennec, 21 AS-350 (armed).
AIRFORCE
Total Armed Forces
59,400 (5,000 conscripts); 272 cbt ac, 46 armed hel; Ad Command: 1 gp. Fighter: 2 sqn with 16 F-103E/D (Mirage IIIE/DBR); Tactical Command: 10 gp; FGA: 3 sqn with 48 F-5E, 4-B, 4-F, 26 AMX; Coin: 2 sqn with 58 AT-26 (EMB-326); Recce: 2 sqn with 4 RC-95, 10 RT-26, 12 Learjet 35 Recce/VIP, 3 RC-130E; Liaison/Observation: 7 sqn: 1 ac with 8 T-27; 1 hel with 8 UH-1H (armed); 5 ac/hel with 31 U-7 ac and 30 UH-1H hel (armed); Maritime Command: 4gp; ASW (afloat): 1 sqn with 11 EMB-110B, 20 EMB-111; Transport Command: 6 gp (6 sqn), plus 7 regional indep sqns: 1 with 11 C-130H, KC-130H; 1 with 4 KC-137 (tpi/tkr); 1 with 12 C-91; 1 with 23 C-95A/B/C; 1 sqn with 17 C-115; 1 sqn (VIP) with ac: 1 VC-91, 12 VC/VU-93, 2 VC-96, 5 VC-97, 5 VU-9, 2 Boeing 737-200, hel: 3 VH-4; 7 sqn (regional) with 7 C-115, 86 C-95 A/B/C, 6 EC-9 (VU-9); Helicopters: 8 AS-332 (armed), 8 AS-355, 4 Bell 206, 27 HB-350B; Liaison: 50 C-42, 3 Cessna 208, 30 U-42; Training Command: ac: 38 AT-26, 97 EMB-110, 25 T-23, 98 T-25, 64 T-27 (Tucano), 14 AMX-T, hel: 4 OH-6A, 25 OH-13; Calibration: 1 unit with 2 C-95, 1 EC-93, 4 EC-95, 1 U-93; AAM: AIM-9B Sidewinder, R-530, Magic 2.
Forces Abroad
UN and Peacekeeping: Angola (UNAVEM II): 19, incl 8 Observer, 3 civ pol; Croatia: (UNPROFOR I): 23 Observes, 10 civ pol; El Salvador (ONUSAL): 4 Observers, 11 civ pol; Mozambique (ONUMOZ): 27 Observers, 67 civ pol.
Paramilitary: Public Security Forces: some 385,600 in state military police org (State Militias) under Army control and considered an Army Reserve.