tkMS Group wins Brazilian Navy corvette contract

The Brazillian Navy announced (28 March) that the Águas Azuis Consortium (thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security, and Atech) has been selected as the preferrred bidder for the construction of four defense ships in Brazil’s Tamandaré Corvettes Class Program (CCT). The announcement represents a new milestone for the country's maritime defense and naval industry.

With thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ leadership and its naval systems expertise, the Águas Azuis Consortium companies will now form an SPC (Specific Purpose Company) for the implementation phase of the program. Based on a long-term relationship and strong presence in Brazil, these companies and their subsidiaries have built a solid national partnership with proven capability to retain technology and ensure its development – not only for the CCT Program, but also for future strategic defense projects in the country.

"Being part of the CCT Program reinforces our leadership position and the proven technologies we have offered to the naval defense industry around the world for almost two centuries”, said Dr. Rolf Wirtz, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. "This partnership will bring high-skilled jobs and technology to Brazil, strengthening its defense industry.”

The consortium model will facilitate the transfer of technology process, including for future strategic defense projects in Brazil. “Today’s result demonstrates that our proposal has truly addressed the operational needs of the Brazilian Navy”, noted Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.

The Corvette Program will allow the Brazilian Navy to expand and modernize its fleet. With four corvettes scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2028, the Navy will have new escort ships to counter possible threats and ensure the protection of maritime traffic. This new capability will allow better control of Brazil’s jurisdictional waters – known as the Blue Amazon – which encompasses over 4.5 million km². The escort ships are also expected to play an important role in peace and humanitarian aid missions, in contribution to the Brazilian Diplomacy.

The CCT Program – and its pending transfer of technology for military shipbuilding, combat and platform management systems – will make real contributions to the Brazilian economy, such as:

• Local content of more than 40% during ships building and the development of state-of-the-art systems;
• Generation of more than 1,000 direct jobs and approximately 4,000 indirect jobs;
• Competitiveness to meet the future demands of the Brazilian Navy and export of naval defense products;
• Inclusion of research and development centers; and
• In-service support capability to a high-tech and long-life product.

The Aliança-Oceana shipyard, considered one of the most modern in Brazil, will act as the ship builder. Located in Itajaí (Santa Catarina State), a region with a strong vocation for shipbuilding, the shipyard is part of Oceana Offshore Group, a company with more than 20 years’ experience in shipbuilding and offshore maritime operations. With approximately 310,000 square meters, Oceana has the capacity to build 4 to 6 ships per year, and applies the most innovative engineering and construction processes, with high level of automation and cutting-edge technology. It also has facilities located in Niterói (Rio de Janeiro State), which can serve as logistics and services support base for the Brazilian Navy.

Atech, an Embraer Group company with facilities in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, will supply the CMS (Combat Management System) and IPMS (Integrated Platform Management System) for the Tamandaré Class corvettes. In cooperation with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (a subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) and L3 MAPPS, Atech will receive the transfer of technology. Atech currently has 500 engineers specializing in software and hardware development for defense applications and has unique expertise in systems engineering and situational awareness technologies of decision-making.

Embraer Defense & Security will integrate sensors and weaponry into the combat system, bringing the program to its 50 years’ experience in in-service support solutions. As the leading aerospace and defense industry in Latin America, Embraer provides a full line of integrated solutions and applications such as Command and Control Center (C4I), radars, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) and space. Its many capabilities also include integrated systems for information, communications, border monitoring and surveillance as well as aircraft for authorities’ transportation and special missions. With a growing presence on the global market, Embraer Defense & Security products and solutions are present in more than 60 countries.

The Águas Azuis Consortium proposal was based on the MEKO family of ships, which includes 11 Classes. Its modular design facilitates local integration and transfer of technology, helping to reduce acquisition, maintenance and modernization costs. Combining state-of-the-art technology, innovation and robust combat capabilities, the MEKO Class is a true blue water vessel with exceptional qualities. As a result, several Navies from all over the world have a flexible, versatile combat platform and a general naval environment for diversified mission profiles.

According to a press release from tkMS, there have been 82 MEKO Class corvettes and frigates delivered to 14 different nations since 1982, 37 of which were produced outside Germany, and all are still in full operation – indicating a proven life cycle of more than 40 years. The design iteration of this class combines best characteristics of five generations of ships, ensuring that each new generation benefits from solid, proven maturity, technology, materials and standards.

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the world’s leading system suppliers for submarines and naval surface vessels as well as for maritime security technologies. With nearly 5,500 employees, the company has a history of naval shipbuilding that dates back centuries and offers state-of-the-art technologies, innovations and extensive and dependable services to customers around the world. With its Operating Units Submarines, Surface Vessels, Naval Electronic Systems and Services, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is part of the thyssenkrupp Group which has more than 161,000 employees in 78 countries. Developing business in Brazil since 1837, thyssenkrupp Group employs more than 8,000 people in all regions of Brazil in the automotive, energy, infrastructure, mining, cement, civil construction, chemical, petrochemical and defense segments.

The ATLAS ELEKTRONIK Group stands for maritime and naval solutions for surface, submarines and coast systems. The company holds a leading position in all fields of maritime high technology, including command & control systems for submarines and surface vessels, sonars and sensors, mine warfare systems, heavyweight torpedoes, coastal surveillance systems and in-service support. ATLAS has established a worldwide customer portfolio. The naval electronics specialist is a company of thyssenkrupp and has a workforce of around 2200 highly skilled employees.

Innovation

Recognized as a Brazilian "System House", Atech says it always been guided by innovation as a way to help transform the country. With unique expertise in systems engineering and situational awareness technologies and support for decision making, Atech works to develop innovative solutions with applications in the areas of air traffic, command and control systems, cyber security, instrumentation and control systems, embedded systems, simulators and logistics. The company is responsible for the development and modernization of the entire system for the management and defense of Brazilian airspace. For its performance in these areas, the company has been recognized and certified as a Strategic Defense Company by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense.