TSAMTO, September 15. At ThyssenKrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul (tkEBS) in Itajai (Santa Catarina, Brazil), the cutting ceremony of the first steel for the lead frigate of the F200 class "Tamandare" (MEKO A-100MB) took place.
According to the Command of the Brazilian Navy, steel will be used to manufacture the first of 55 building blocks, which after unification will make up the hull and superstructure of the frigate. The ceremony of laying the keel of the frigate is scheduled for March 2023, launching – for June 2024. The transfer of the frigate to the Brazilian Navy is scheduled to take place in December 2025. The program includes the subsequent delivery of three more ships of the series by December 2029.
As reported by TSAMTO, in March 2019, the consortium Aguas Azuis, formed by Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and ATECH Negocios em Tecnologias SA, was selected by the command of the Brazilian Navy as the preferred bidder for the supply of four Tamandare-class corvettes.
In March 2020, after lengthy negotiations, the state-owned company Emgepron, acting on behalf of the Brazilian Defense Ministry, and the joint venture Aguas Azuis signed a contract for the construction of four Tamandare-class multipurpose frigates for the Brazilian Navy. The cost of the project is estimated at 9.1 billion reais ($2 billion). Deliveries of frigates are tentatively planned for the period from 2025 to 2028.
In addition to ship construction, the contract includes the transfer of military shipbuilding technologies, combat control and platform management systems, as well as comprehensive logistics support and lifecycle management.
The Brazilian Navy will use new ships to counter modern surface, underwater and air threats, to ensure the protection of maritime transport, control of territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone. Frigates will also be used for search and rescue operations and in peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions.
The new multipurpose ships will be based on the MEKO project. It is assumed that the length of the Tamandare–class frigate will be 107.2 m, the maximum width – 15.95 m, draft - 5.3 m, displacement – 3455 tons. The power plant will include 4 MAN 12V 28/33 DSTC diesel engines, Caterpillar C32 diesel generators. The ship will be able to reach a cruising speed of 14 knots and a maximum of 25 knots. The range will be 5,000 nautical miles, autonomy – 28 days. It is assumed that the armament of the ships will include a 76/62 mm artillery installation, the SeaCeptor air defense system, the MM40 "Exocet" PKR Unit.3, FN Herstal's DUMV, SEA torpedo launchers, C-Guard false target shooting system.