The Brazilian Navy has officially placed a contract with French missile specialist MBDA for the delivery of the Sea Ceptor air-defense missile system for its new Tamandaré-class frigates.
Known as Sea Ceptor in its maritime variant, the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) will provide the ships with self-defense and local area air defense (LAAD) capability.
This will enable Brazil’s Tamandaré-class frigates to protect themselves, consorts and fixed infrastructure against the full range of threat types at sea or in harbor.
Sea Ceptor is in operational service with the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates, and has been selected for the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates. Brazil joins Chile, New Zealand and Canada in a growing list of international Sea Ceptor users. The CAMM missile has also been delivered to the British Army in the Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) role.
Brazil is buying four Tamandare-class ships under a contract worth up to $1.6 billion. The contract was signed in 2020 with Águas Azuis, a company created by Germany’s thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, and Brazilian companies Embraer Defense & Security and Atech.
The four ships, which will be based on thyssenkrupp’s MEKO design, will be built in Brazil and delivered between 2025 and 2028. Work on the first is expected to start this year.
thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will supply the naval technology, while Embraer will integrate sensors and weaponry into the combat system. Atech, an Embraer Group company, will be the supplier of the CMS (combat management system) and IPMS (integrated platform management system, from L3 MAPPS), and the recipient of technology transfer in cooperation with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK.
In addition to the SeaCeptor, the ships will be equipped with Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missile systems, a Leonardo 76/62 main gun, a C-Guard decoy launcher and SEA’s torpedo launch system. The 107-meter frigates will also be fitted with FN Herstal’s remote weapon stations.
