The program was created in 2017 with the main purpose of replacing the frigates in operation since 1975 and the Type 22s acquired second-hand from the United Kingdom in the 1990s.[2]
Several companies from seventeen countries entered in the competition opened by the MoD, offering different types of projects and offset packages. On 16 May 2017, the list of all participating companies was released.[3]
On 15 October 2018, after more than a year of studies by the Directorate of Program Management of the Navy (DGePM) and the Naval Projects Management Company (EMGEPRON), the short-list of the finalist projects was released, the selected projects were:[4]
| Consortium | Builder | Parent Design | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Águas Azuis | ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems | MEKO A-100 | |
| Damen-Saab Tamandaré | Damen Group | Sigma 10514 | |
| Villegagnon | Naval Group | Gowind 2500 | |
| FLV | Fincantieri | MB indigenous project | |
In January 2021, ThyssenKrupp confirmed the acquisition of the Oceana shipyard in Itajaí, Brazil, becoming the company's first shipyard in Latin America, with the objective of building the new Brazilian frigates, and future sales to other navies in the region.[6]
The construction of the lead ship, Tamandaré (F200) started on 5 September 2022, with the second boat, Jerônimo de Albuquerque (F201), on 1 November 2023. Tamandaré, was launched on 9 August 2024.[7]
On 9 August 2024, the Brazilian Navy announced plans to build a second batch of four more units, confirming the National Maritime Strategy published by the MoD in 2023.[7] [8]
The class was based on the MEKO family of warships, a concept of modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction. Designed as multi-mission vessels, the class is able to fulfill the anti-aircraft warfare role with surface-to-air missiles, anti-surface warfare with the Brazilian MANSUP missiles, and anti-submarine warfare.
Tamandaré is equipped with the Hensoldt TRS-4D active electronically scanned array radar, able to track 1500 targets at a range of up to 250 km. The combat management system (CMS) and the integrated platform management system (IPMS), designed by Atech, a subsidiary of Embraer, are a version derived from the Atlas ANCS and L3 Mapps, exclusively designed to meet the Brazilian requirements.[9]
The boats are the first globaly to be equipped with the Sea Snake, a new close-in weapon system of the German defense company Rheinmetall, armed with the KCE30 30 mm revolver cannon, with ABM (air burst ammunition) capability. The MAGE Defensor suite responsible for the electronic warfare support measures (ESM), electronic countermeasure (ECM) and the electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) systems of the class, was developed by the Brazilian company Omnisys.[10] [11]
The ships are named after key people in the history of the Imperial Brazilian Navy.[12] Italics indicate estimated date.
| Pennant Number | Name | Namesake | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F200 | Joaquim Marques Lisboa | 24 March 2023[13] | 9 August 2024[14] | December 2025[15] | Fitting out | |
| F201 | 6 June 2024[16] | August 2025 | 2026 | Under construction; first steel cut 1 November 2023[17] | ||
| F202 | July 2026 | 2027 | Awarded[18] | |||
| F203 | Antônio Carlos de Mariz e Barros | November 2027 | 2028 | Awarded | ||
| F204 | ? | Announced | ||||
| F205 | ? | Announced | ||||
| F206 | ? | Announced | ||||
| F207 | ? | Announced | ||||