TSAMTO, March 27. At the Thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul (tkEBS) company in Itajai (Santa Catarina) on March 24, the keel laying ceremony of the head multipurpose frigate of the F200 class "Tamandare" (MEKO A-100MB) took place.
According to the Brazilian Navy command, the event was attended by the country's Defense Minister Jose Musio.
The construction of the ship's hull is carried out in blocks. In total, 55 building blocks will be manufactured, which after unification will make up the hull and superstructure of the frigate. At the ceremony, one of the engine room blocks weighing about 52 tons was placed on the construction site. At the moment, the work on the construction of the ship has been completed by 34%.
The launch of the ship is scheduled for mid–2024, and its transfer to the Brazilian Navy is scheduled for the end of 2025. The program includes the subsequent delivery of three more ships of the series by December 2029. It is expected that the cutting of the first steel for the second Tamandare-class frigate will begin at the end of this year.
As reported by TSAMTO, the implementation of the program for the construction of Tamandare-class frigates began in 2017. In March 2019, the Brazilian Navy Command selected the Aguas Azuis consortium formed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and ATECH Negocios em Tecnologias SA as the preferred bidder for the supply of four Tamandare-class ships.
In March 2020, after lengthy negotiations, the state-owned company Emgepron (Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais), 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. The cost of the project is estimated at 9.1 billion reais ($2 billion). Ship deliveries are tentatively scheduled for the period from 2025 to 2028.
The contract also includes the transfer of ship construction 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 aerial threats, to ensure the protection of maritime transport, control of territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone. They will also be used for search and rescue operations and in peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions.
Steel cutting for the construction of the lead frigate began on September 5, 2022.
The new multipurpose ships are 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.
