BRAZIL BUYS HMS OCEAN
ENGLAND - The United Kingdom has reportedly finalized the sale of the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Brazil for less than a third of what it originally spent to build the ship. The Brazilian Navy looks to be the big winner in the deal, which effectively ends the possibility of the Royal Navy having any interim aircraft carrier capability, no matter how limited, until HMS Queen Elizabeth enters operational service. On Jan 2, 2018, UK Defence Journal reported that Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann had confirmed the purchase in December 2017. Brazil will pay almost $115 million for Ocean, but it is unclear if that cost will include any refit or refurbishment of the ship or if the government in Brasilia will have to come up with the entire amount at once. The United Kingdom still has yet to officially decommission the ship, which it expects to do in 2018, but the first rumors of the sale appeared in March 2017. The head of the Brazilian Navy, Admiral Eduardo Leal Ferreira, previously described the price tag as “convenient,” Brazilian journalist Roberto Lopes told UK Defence Journal. Brazil will send personnel to train on the ship in the United Kingdom prior to its delivery and the first four Brazilian officers will reportedly arrive before the end of January 2018. The Ocean could provide important capabilities for Brazil at home and abroad. The country’s Navy could fly any of its existing Super Cougar and Super Puma transport helicopters, the former of which have light attack and will gain anti-ship capabilities, or Super Lynx and Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters from the ship’s deck. As such it could serve as a sub-hunting platform or in a broader sea control function, as well as being able to support humanitarian assistance operations in the aftermath of a natural disaster. (Thedrive)