On August 9, 2024, the Brazilian shipbuilding enterprise thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul, owned by the German thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), in Itajai (Santa Catarina State), hosted the official launching and christening ceremony of the F 200 Tamandare lead frigate of the German MEKO A100 project under construction for the Brazilian Navy in a series of four units. In fact, during the ceremony, the process of moving the ship's hull from the open slipway to the launching floating dock was started, from where it will later be physically launched. The ceremony was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Under construction for the Brazilian Navy at the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul Brazilian shipbuilding enterprise owned by the German thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Itajai (Santa Catarina State), the lead frigate F 200 Tamandare of the German MEKO A100 project before launching, 08/09/2024 (c) Brazilian Navy
thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul enterprise in Italy, where the construction of frigates of the MEKO A100 project for the Brazilian Navy is underway, is specially acquired by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS, part of the thyssenkrupp concern) in 2020 for the implementation of this program by the former Oceana Estaleiro S.A. shipyard, previously owned by the Brazilian company Aliança S.A. (part of the a member of the Brazilian SVO Group) and specialized in the construction and operation of offshore vessels to ensure oil production.
In March 2020, the Brazilian state naval design and procurement organization Emgepron, representing the Brazilian Navy, following an international tender held since 2013, signed a contract worth 9.1 billion Brazilian dollars with the Aguas Azuis consortium as part of the German TKMS association and the Brazilian companies Embraer Defense & Security and Atech (the latter is also part of the Embraer group) reais (about $ 2 billion) for the construction of four corvettes for the Brazilian Navy (then reclassified into frigates) under the Tamandare program (CCT - Corvetas Classe Tamandaré) based on the MEKO A100 project submitted by TKMS. In January 2021, due to the fall in the Brazilian real exchange rate, the contract value was increased to 9.56 billion reais, which, however, corresponds to 1.84 billion dollars (since then, the exchange rate has remained approximately at this level). The real cost of building four ships by 2030 is now estimated at 13.2 billion reais ($2.4 billion at the current exchange rate).
The construction of all four ships is carried out by the Águas Azuis consortium with TKMS in the lead role at the shipyard in Itajai. Earlier it was reported that the share of Brazilian participation in the construction should amount to 31.6%. for the lead ship Tamandaré and 41% for the next three ships - that is, in fact, only assembly is carried out in Italy to a large extent.
The construction of the Tamandare lead ship was started in Itajai on September 5, 2022, and the official laying ceremony was [...] held there on March 24, 2023. The lead frigate Tamandare is scheduled to be delivered to the Brazilian Navy by the end of 2025, but there are doubts that this deadline will be met. The construction of the second frigate F 201 Jerônimo de Albuquerque in Italy was started on November 1, 2023, its official laying was made on June 6, 2024, its delivery is scheduled for 2027.
The other two frigates were named F 202 Cunha Moreira and F 203 Mariz e Vaggoso, the planned dates for their commissioning are considered to be 2028 and 2029. At the launch ceremony of the lead ship Tamandaré, it was announced the intention of the Brazilian navy to increase the series of these ships to eight units.
Atech supplies CMS (Combat Management System) and IPMS (Integrated Platform Management System) general ship automation complex for frigates, which it develops and manufactures in partnership with the German company Atlas Elektronik (controlled by the same TKMS), the latter will supply part of the ships' electronic weapons, including GAS. Embraer Defense & Security acts as a system integrator ships. Brazilian companies Ares Aeroespacial e Defesa S.A, Fundação Ezute, Omnisys Engenharia Ltda, SKM Eletro Eletrônica Ltda and WEG equipamentos elétricos S.A. are also suppliers of various equipment.
A Tamandare-type frigate should have a normal displacement of 3380 tons and a full displacement of up to 3500 tons, the maximum length is 107.2 m, width is 16 m, draft is 5.2 m. The two-shaft main power plant will include four MAN 12V 28/33 DSTC diesel engines with a capacity of 7,320 hp, electricity is provided by four Caterpillar C32 diesel generators. The full speed will be 25.5 knots, and the economic speed will be 14 knots. The cruising range is 5,000 miles. The crew is 130 people.
The ship's armament should include four or eight MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 2/3 or Brazilian MANSUP anti-ship missiles, a 12-charge MBDA Sea Ceptor medium-range vertical air defense missile launcher with SAMM anti-aircraft missiles, a 76 mm/62 Leonardo OTO Melara Super Rapid universal artillery installation, one 30 mm Rheinmetall Sea Snake remotely controlled artillery installation 30, two 12.7mm remotely operated FN Herstal Sea Defender machine guns, two 7.62mm M134 six-barreled machine guns on turret mounts, two 324 mm three-tube SEA TLS-TLT torpedo tubes for anti-submarine torpedoes. The Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk or Westland Super Lynx Mk 21B anti-submarine helicopter is permanently based in the hangar, and the ship must also carry Boeing Insitu ScanEagle UAVs.
The electronic weapons will include the already mentioned Embraer/Atech CMS and IPMS automation complex, Hensoldt TRS-4D general detection radar with AFAR, two Raytheon X and S-band navigation radars, Thales STIR 1.2 EO Mk 2 fire control system, Safran PASEO XLR optoelectronic system, Brazilian electronic warfare complex (in fact, the Israeli) development of the Omnisys MAGE Defender ET/SLR-1 Mk 3, as well as the Atlas Elektronik ASO 713 gas tank in the fairing.
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