The contract, which has an estimated value of R$ 9.1 billion, will be signed on Thursday (5) between the Brazilian Navy and the consortium Águas Azuis, for the construction of four military ships in Itajaí. The final price has been defined after a series of adaptations in the project of the Mekko 100, a German vessel that will be used as the basis for the Brazilian project.

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The main change is in the classification of vessels. Bid as corvettes, they are expected to leave the production line as frigates – a category higher among military ships. The information was provided this Tuesday (4) by Estadão, and has not yet received confirmation from Emgepron, the Brazilian Navy's project company.

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The consortium is headed by the German Thyssenkrupp Marine System and by the Brazilian Embraer and Atech. The project foresees technology transfer between Germany and Brazil. For the first vessel, the nationalization index is 32%. The percentage increases with the delivery of the following vessels.

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With 107 meters and length, the frigates will have high technology on board. They are warships, equipped with missile launchers of different proportions and stealth features, which make the vessels “invisible” to radar.

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Each frigate will carry a crew of up to 136 soldiers and a helicopter. The artillery includes Sea Ceptor anti-aircraft missiles, with a 25 km range, and anti-ship missiles of two types – Exocet, European, and Mansup, national. The range varies between 70 and 180 kilometers, with 180-kilogram warheads of high-yield explosives. The information is from the State.

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The vessels will also have .50 caliber cannons, torpedoes and machine guns on board.

The contract will be signed at Arsenal da Marinha, on Ilha das Cobras, in Rio de Janeiro. From there, the executive project phase begins, with the detailing of the construction phases.

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The expectation is that the frigates will start being produced in 2021, with the first vessel expected to be delivered in 2024. The works should generate 2,000 direct jobs in Itajaí, and up to 8,000 indirect jobs.

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