The program was created in 2017 with the main purpose of replacing all the current major surface combatants of the frigates in operation since 1975, the boats acquired second-hand from the United Kingdom in the 1990s, and the .[1] 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.[2]
On 15 October 2018, after more than a year of studies by the Directorate of Program Management of the Navy and the Naval Projects Management Company, the short-list of the finalist projects was released, the selected projects were: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the MEKO A-100, the Sigma-class of Damen Group, Naval Group's Gowind-class and Fincantieri with Brazilian Navy's indigenous project variant.[3]
On 28 March 2019, the winning project was presented, the Águas Azuis consortium led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems with a project of the 3,500-ton MEKO A-100-class variant. The contract of €2 billion for the first batch of four units, was signed between the Brazilian government and the winning consortium on 6 March 2020.[4] 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.[5]
The construction of the lead ship, Tamandaré, started on 5 September 2022, with the second boat, Jerônimo de Albuquerque, on 1 November 2023. Tamandaré, was launched on 9 August 2024.[6] As of November 2023, each ship of the first batch cost around €518 million, the total program cost was reported €2.75 billion, incremented by R&D costs of €750 million.[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.[6] [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 GWS-35 vertical launching system surface-to-air missiles cells, anti-surface warfare with the Brazilian MANSUP missiles, and anti-submarine warfare. The class was developed with the two island philosophy.[9]
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.[10]
The boats are the first globally 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. The class is fitted for, but not equipped with LAM cruise missiles.[11] [12] [13]
Like other major defense programs in the country, the government demanded from the winning consortium the construction of the ships in Brazil, the participation of Brazilian companies in the industrial process and the transfer of related technologies.[1] Embraer, along its subsidiary Atech, are responsible for the integration of systems and sensors of the class. Other companies like Akaer Engenharia are involved in the industrial process, nationalizing components and parts of the structure to reduce costs and foreign dependence.[14] Around 40% of the ship's components are produced in the country.[15]
The ships are named after key people in the history of the Imperial Brazilian Navy.[16]
| Name | Hull Number | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch 1 | ||||||
| F200 | ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems | 24 March 2023[17] | 9 August 2024[18] | [19] | Fitting out | |
| F201 | 6 June 2024[20] | Under construction; first steel cut 1 November 2023[21] | ||||
| F202 | Under construction; first steel cut 13 November 2024[22] | |||||
| F203 | Ordered | |||||
| Batch 2 | ||||||
| TBD | F204 | ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems | Planned | |||
| TBD | F205 | Planned | ||||
| TBD | F206 | Planned | ||||
| TBD | F207 | Planned | ||||