Brazil begins construction of final Tamandaré-class frigate

Brazil's TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul is building four Tamandaré-class multi-purpose light frigates. First-of-class F Tamandaré is shown here. (Brazilian Navy)

Brazil's TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul, which is owned by Germany's TKMS, has begun building the fourth and final MEKO A-100MB Tamandaré-class multi-purpose frigate for the Brazilian Navy on 9 January.

According to the Brazilian Navy, the keel of frigate F Mariz e Barros (F203) is planned to be laid in 2027, with commissioning by the Surface Force Command set for 2029.

TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul in Itajaí, State of Santa Catarina, is building the frigate as part of the Brazilian Navy's Tamandaré-class Frigates Program (PFCT).

The PFCT programme for four light frigates, part of the Surface Means Procurement Program (PROSUPER), in March 2020 was awarded to Águas Azuis (a consortium of TKMS, Embraer, and Atech) by Brazil's state-owned company EMGEPRON (Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais) on behalf of the Brazilian Navy.

TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul is building another two frigates in the PFCT programme, F Jerónimo de Albuquerque (F201) and F Cunha Moreira (F202), which are scheduled for commissioning in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

F Tamandaré (F200), the first-in-class 107.2 m-long ship, displacing 3.455 tonnes, is finalising trials for commissioning in the coming weeks, according to Vice-Admiral Marcelo da Silva Gomes, head of the Directorate of Navy Programs Management (DGePM).