The Brazilian Navy began construction of the fourth Tamandaré class frigate, the F203 Mariz e Barros, with the first steel cutting ceremony held at Estaleiro Brasil Sul, in Itajaí, Santa Catarina.
The shipyard belongs to the German company TKMS and operates in Brazil through Estaleiro Brasil Sul.
The event was publicized by Brazilian Navy and was attended by the Navy’s Director of Program Management, Vice Admiral Marcelo da Silva Gomes, who activated the cutting machine, symbolizing the formal start of construction of the new frigate at the Navy’s shipyard. TKMS in Itajai.
According to the program schedule, the F203 should be launched in 2027 and incorporated into the Brazilian Navy in 2029. With the start of construction of the fourth ship, Estaleiro Brasil Sul reaches the peak of its production capacity, with the first four frigates being built simultaneously in the country. At the same time, the program’s nationalization rate has already reached 40%.
The class’s leading frigate, Tamandaré (F200), was launched in August 2024, carried out its sea acceptance trials between August and December 2025 and is expected to be transferred to the Navy’s operational staff in the first half of 2026. The second unit, F201 Jerônimo de Albuquerque, is scheduled to begin sea trials in mid-2026, while the third, F202 Cunha Moreira, is scheduled to be launched in July 2026.
Tamandaré class frigate
In March 2020, after an international bidding process started in 2013, the Brazilian Navy signed a contract worth 9.1 billion reais for the construction of four ships for the Tamandaré program, initially classified as corvettes and later reclassified as frigates. The project is based on the MEKO A100 design, presented by TKMS.
The Tamandaré class frigates have a normal displacement of 3,380 tons and a maximum displacement of up to 3,500 tons, with a length of 107.2 meters, a beam of 16 meters and a draft of 5.2 meters. The propulsion consists of two axles, driven by four MAN 12V 28/33 DSTC diesel engines, each with a power of 7,320 hp.
The planned armament includes anti-ship missiles MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 2 ou 3or the national missile MANSUP; 12-cell vertical launcher of the MBDA Sea Ceptor medium-range air defense system, with CAMM missiles; 76mm/62 Leonardo OTO Melara Super Rapid naval gun; 30 mm Rheinmetall Sea Snake 30 remote cannon; two remotely controlled FN Herstal Sea Defender 12.7mm machine guns; two six-barreled 7.62mm M134 machine guns; in addition to two triple 324 mm SEA TLS-TLT anti-submarine torpedo launchers.
On board, the ship also has a hangar and a flight deck for the permanent operation of an anti-submarine helicopter. Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk or Westland Super Lynx Mk 21Bsignificantly expanding its anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities.
Source and images: Brazilian Navy. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
