Brazilian Navy. Brazilian Navy. South American Dreadnought Race

The history of the Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil) dates back to March 1823, when Admiral Cochrane (Lord Thomas Alexander Cochrane) led the fleet of this country, fighting for separation from Portugal, and raised his flag on the ship "Pedro the First" (Pedro the First). Primero). The Navy is the most aristocratic and conservative of the Brazilian military branches, and most naval officers come from wealthy backgrounds. Although the fleet is involved in riverine and coastal operations, its primary purpose is operations on the high seas. Because of this, Navy personnel are less likely to take part in domestic operations than Army and Air Force personnel.

Forced to be strong

Three main events were decisive in the development of the Navy at the end of the twentieth century. Firstly, the Falklands War of 1982 showed that hopes for allies from Latin American countries in the conduct of hostilities may be illusory. Secondly, the leadership of the republic came to the conclusion that its economic competitors could always target other states at Brazil. Therefore, in 1993, Brazil responded sharply to joint maneuvers between Guyana and the United States near the Brazilian border. Finally, the aggravation of the global problem of raw materials is pushing many countries to put pressure on Brazil in order to obtain raw materials from it at prices acceptable to them.

It is likely that it was these threats from North America and Europe that led to the acceleration of the deployment of a program to create a nuclear submarine fleet and, probably, its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Therefore, the desire to create a powerful submarine fleet within the Brazilian Navy is a key component of the maritime component of the country's national defense strategy, published on December 17, 2008. The Ministry of Defense and the government have announced their intention to acquire a significant number of conventional and nuclear submarines, as well as to develop national capabilities to design and build both types of submarines, as well as missile weapons for them.

Collage by Andrey Sedykh

In the face of acute financial constraints, the Brazilian Navy continues to maintain its course of maintaining and strengthening its combat capabilities and strengthening its military-political positions in Latin America. In addition, Brazil has traditionally been a major maritime power whose economy is highly dependent on the state of merchant shipping.

Currently, the main combat missions of the Brazilian Navy are the protection of maritime communications, the fulfillment of international and national geopolitical obligations, the defense of the territorial waters of the country, where most of the operating oil wells are located, and the coastal zone with a length of 8,500 kilometers (in accordance with government regulations, the Navy must receive a share from license payments for oil production to modernize the fleet and other equipment necessary to protect the economic interests of the state).

Shipbuilding program

Despite improved funding for the Navy since 2004, the funds allocated are not enough to stop the aging process of weapons. For example, the 550 million reais allocated to the fleet in 2007 turned out to be enough only to support existing ships. Nevertheless, when cardinal problems arise that require the maintenance of aircraft carrier forces and the creation of a nuclear submarine fleet, the country’s leadership always has financial resources.

The long-term national program for the construction of nuclear submarines (SSNs) is proceeding as planned. In the medium term, there will also be a need for the design and construction of a new generation of non-nuclear submarines (NSS). Most likely, the development of the project will begin with the participation of France, which in 2008 decided to assist Brazil in creating its own submarine.

Research and development programs in the interests of the naval surface forces, carried out by the Naval Systems Analytical Center, the Technology Center and the Admiral Paulo Moreira Institute for Maritime Studies, are aimed mainly at the development of anti-aircraft missile systems, missile defense, electronic warfare, combat control, submarine forces, the creation of new technologies and the minimization of national dependence from foreign sources of strategic resources.

The status of Brazil's military shipbuilding program at the beginning of 2012 is shown in the table.

Submarine forces

PLA. The country has large reserves of uranium (6th place in the world), is a member of the IAEA, but has not joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, considering it discriminatory and infringing on Brazil’s rights to receive the latest technologies. The country has qualified scientific personnel and enough nuclear power plants. Brazil has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. A quadripartite special agreement was signed between Argentina, Brazil, AWASS ( Argentine-Brazilian Agency for the Accounting and Control of Fissile Materials. – Note ed.) and the IAEA, providing for the extension of full-scale safeguards of the latter to the nuclear activities of these countries. The Brazilian government has announced its refusal to carry out nuclear tests, even for peaceful purposes. But according to most experts, it was more of an advertising campaign.

Shipbuilding program of the Brazilian Navy at the beginning of 2012

As of 2012, there is no data on the presence of nuclear weapons in Brazil. However, it is known that the secret nuclear program was carried out in the 80s and 90s under the actual leadership of the country’s Armed Forces and primarily the Navy. Work on it was carried out mainly at the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research, at the Air Force Aerospace Technology Center, at the Technical Development Center of the Brazilian Army, as well as at the country's Nuclear Research Institute. The current status of the program is unknown due to secrecy.

Brazil began implementing a program to build submarines back in 1979. However, due to financial problems, the allocation of funds for this development was suspended after 1994 and during the past decade the work was practically curtailed. In 2007, the president decided to renew funding for the development of submarines; at the beginning of 2008, it was decided to use the French Navy submarine as a prototype for a Brazilian nuclear submarine.

The submarine program is managed by COGESN, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, with an annual budget of $250 million. The goal of its activities is to complete the creation of submarines for the Brazilian Navy in the next ten years. The PLA reactor will be developed by Brazilian specialists, probably with the help of France. A prototype nuclear reactor (PWR type) of the IPEN/MB-1 project has already been created at a uranium enrichment plant in the city of Aramar (municipality of Ipero) in the São Paulo region, which came into operation in 1988. Development of the nuclear reactor is expected to take up to eight years and cost more than $600 million.

Experts note a significant revival in the implementation of the submarine construction program (three units are planned to be built), which at the beginning of 2012 provides for allocations of $1.4 billion. The submarines will be built at a new, specially created shipbuilding plant (SSZ) of the Brazilian Navy in the city of Sepetiba Bay (Rio de Janeiro state). It is assumed that a 50 MW reactor will provide submarines with a displacement of about 3000 tons with a speed of up to 25 knots. According to other sources, the submarine will be a variant of the French Barracuda-type submarine.

In 2012, Brazil will allocate another $200 million for the construction of submarines. According to the country's Ministry of Defense, since France has decided to provide assistance in the construction of nuclear-powered submarines (and most likely will not only transfer a version of the K-15 reactor to its partners, but will also help them master its production), Cochran's followers also intend to order French Scorpene-class nuclear submarines. . According to some experts, the lead submarine will cost Brazil two billion euros and should be ready approximately by 2023. It has been officially announced that DCNS will provide technical support and transfer of technology for creating the “non-nuclear part” of the first submarine for the Brazilian Navy.

According to a number of sources, Argentina and Brazil are joining forces to jointly build submarines. If confirmed, this information may indicate a radical turn in the policy of relations between the two states from secret rivalry to mutual cooperation in defense policy.

Brazil has also announced its intention to build a submarine base near Rio de Janeiro.

NAPL. The Navy has five non-submarine submarines (four of Project 209/1400 and one of improved Project 209/1400). Of these, one Project 209/1400 nuclear submarine was built in Germany, and the rest were built using German technologies at the Arsenal de Marinha shipyard in Brazil.

A Brazilian-French contract for the construction of four Scorpene nuclear submarines and the non-nuclear part of the first Brazilian submarine, as well as the transfer of submarine shipbuilding technology to Brazil and assistance in the construction of a naval base and shipyard, was signed with the French shipbuilding company DCNS at the end of 2008.

Currently, the front part of the first of four NSSNs is being built in Cherbourg. The completed part of the boat will then be delivered to Brazil in the fourth quarter of 2012. Construction of the rear part of the first non-submarine submarine began in Brazil in July last year.

The Scorpen S-BR NS is designed to conduct independent operations against submarines and surface ships in a limited area, conduct anti-submarine defense in coastal areas, narrow waters and strait zones, and combat sea lanes in limited areas.

All submarines (four NSPLs and one nuclear submarine) are being built in accordance with the Brazilian-French strategic cooperation agreement concluded in 2008. The total cost of the project is estimated at 4.259 billion dollars (according to other sources, the contract amount is 6.7 billion euros or 9.5 billion dollars). The purpose of the bilateral agreement is to strengthen the Brazilian Navy through technology transfer and strategic alliance, ensure the modernization of the country, and master the production of submarines in the interests of protecting national interests.

The Brazilian Navy expects the shipyards to be completed in 2014. The first of four non-nuclear submarines should begin sea trials in 2016. Next year, it is planned to join the Brazilian Navy. Three more Scorpen-class submarines will be put into service before 2021.

An analysis of the cost of the Brazilian-French agreement on strategic cooperation gives every reason to assert that the lion's share of this contract covers the cost of transferring “nuclear technologies”, and the construction of four Scorpene-class nuclear submarines represents a small “add-on”.

Carrier forces

Currently, there is one light aircraft carrier (AVL) in service, Sao Paulo (formerly the French aircraft carrier Foch).

Brazil's carrier force was first created in 1960, when the 20,000 ton Minas Gerais carrier ship was acquired from Great Britain in 1956 and introduced into the Brazilian fleet in 1960 after a three-year overhaul and modernization at the GCC in Rotterdam (Netherlands). During its first 30 years of service in the country's Navy, it actually served as an aircraft carrier (AV) ASW.

However, the Falklands War changed its purpose. In 1990, the Navy managed to obtain funds for the modernization of the ship, which it underwent in 1991-1993. At the same time, radio-electronic and communications equipment, boilers and other power plant mechanisms were replaced on the aircraft carrier, self-defense air defense systems were installed instead of artillery systems, and the steam catapult was modernized for the use of light attack aircraft (LAT) and multi-role fighters (MCF).

In 1997, the Navy finally managed to include naval aviation into the Navy (until 1997 it belonged to the Air Force). In the same year, the Navy finally secured a deal to purchase (for $70 million) Skyhawk fighter jets (20 single-seat A-4KU and three double-seat TA-4KU trainers) from Kuwait. The aircraft as part of the 1st Fighter Squadron formed in the Navy Aviation at the Naval Base San Pedro da Aldeira received the designation AF-1 and AF-1A, respectively. It was planned that all 23 aircraft would be prepared for flights from the AVL deck, and the pilots would receive the appropriate flight certificates by the end of 1999 - beginning of 2000. In fact, only in October 2000, five of them began practicing takeoff and landing on the Minas Gerais aircraft, the catapult of which was adapted to serve Skyhawk fighters in September 1999 in Brazil.

AVL Minas Gerais took on board an air group consisting of six to eight AF-1s, four to six SH-3A or SH-3D helicopters, two UH-13s or three UH-14s. Two or three Tracker S-2A/E aircraft, which were previously based on the AVL, were periodically used as AWACS.

Despite very careful maintenance and periodic modernization, the physical wear and tear of the Minas Gerais aircraft reached its limit by the end of the 20th century (more than 50 years in service) and the ship required replacement. Therefore, in July 2000, the Brazilian government signed an agreement worth 300 million francs for the purchase of the French Foch aircraft, which was to be replaced in the French Navy by the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle aircraft at the end of 2000.

Having changed the flag on November 15, 2000, the ship was renamed Sao Paulo. Previously, special equipment that was not for sale was removed from it, after which the first group of Brazilian crew arrived on the ship. The Frenchman underwent a major overhaul in the city of Brest and was sent to Brazil in 2003. As of early 2012, its operational air wing typically consists of 15 AF-1s, four to six SH-3A or SH-3D helicopters, two UH-13s or three UH-14s, and two to three Tracker S-2T aircraft, converted from anti-submarine aircraft, with updated avionics.

Brazil is not going to curtail its aircraft carrier program, but around 2015-2018, the Sao Paulo aircraft carrier will be excluded from the Navy due to physical wear and tear. In this regard, the Navy has already begun to search for options to replace it. According to experts, Brazil will not be able to build ABC at its shipyards in such a time frame.

Amphibious forces

DK. The Navy has five landing ships (LDC): two Thomaston-class landing dock ships (DTDS), three large tank landing ships or BTDCs (one Sir Galahad-class, one Sir Bedivere-class, one Newport-class). However, all the ships, with the exception of one BTDC Garcia D Avila type Sir Galahad, are quite old - with a service life of more than 40 years and require replacement. It can be assumed that in the very near future Brazil will be looking for new old ships in other countries, since there are no funds for new ships yet.

DKA. All eight LCUs in service with the Navy (three LCU class and five LCM8 class) are fairly new and are used as landing craft (ALVs) in the LCT. It is planned to purchase five more LCM8 class DKAs.

Multi-role forces

FR. The Navy has nine FRs in service (three - Project 22 1st series - purchased in the UK, six - Niteroi type - built by Vosper Thornycroft). All of them are approaching their service life limits, but their weapons can be considered quite modern. The last two FRs of the Niteroi class were built in Brazil at the Arsenal de Marinha shipyard and became the first sufficiently large ships with modern weapons built domestically.

Placing the AESN Albatros air defense system on them (when modernized) allows the ships to solve air defense tasks not only for self-defense, but also in the interests of the protected ship. Most likely, in the coming years, frigates will remain in service with the Navy as direct escort ships for the Air Force.

In 2010–2011, negotiations were held on the purchase of three FREMM-type FRs in France. However, at present, due to the priority of the program for creating submarines and non-submarine submarines, the purchase of FR will be moved to a later date.

KRV. The Navy has five operational cruise missiles (four Inhauma type, one Barroso type), built according to national projects and in Brazil.

In the early 1980s, the country began a national program for the creation of WACs. Assistance in the development and construction was provided by companies from the USA, Great Britain and Germany. The design was carried out with the direct assistance of the German company Marine Technik. The agreement with her was signed in 1981. In 1983–1989, the Inhauma (V30) airborne missile launcher was produced at the Arsenal de Marinha state shipyard in Rio de Janeiro. This is the first fairly large ship built according to a national project.

The Inhauma-type SAMs are multi-purpose and are designed to search and destroy submarines and surface ships (SCs), to engage ground targets (GTC), and to patrol in a given area. In architecture, the ship with a displacement of 1970 tons resembles a Niteroi-class FR (F40). The weapons include Exocet MM-40 anti-ship missiles, but there is no air defense missile system, which is a disadvantage. A two-shaft diesel-gas turbine unit (DGTU) according to the Eilat KRV scheme was used as a power plant. In 1994, construction began on an improved version of the AVR of this project - the Barroso ARC. It is planned to build three more KRVs of this type. The dates have not yet been precisely determined.

The cost of one KRV of this type was estimated at 120–140 million dollars (in 1983 prices). The duration of construction of the ship is six to seven years, which indicates that Brazil has no experience in building complex ships and a weak shipbuilding base.

Patrol forces

PC. There are nine patrol ships (PCs) in service. The newest are the four River PCs built in the UK.

BKA. There are 17 large spacecraft in operation and five more are expected to be built. The newest are 12 Grajau-type PKAs of the German project and two PKAs of the French (CMN) project NAPA500.

Mine sweeping forces

In the Navy, they consist of six Schutze-type road minesweepers (RTM), built in Germany and modernized in 2001–2007. There are no development programs for MTS yet and there probably won’t be.

In general, the Brazilian Navy, with the exception of non-nuclear submarines, six FR and CRV, mainly consists of used ships and vessels, and military shipbuilding is in its infancy. At the same time, the implementation of the program for creating submarines in the country can give a powerful impetus to the development of the national military industry and the development of the latest naval technologies.

Brazilian Navy(port. Marinha do Brasil) - one of the three branches of the Brazilian Armed Forces. Mainly include the Navy, Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, and special forces units.

Organization

All forces, with the exception of the Marine Corps, are controlled through the Naval Operations Command (port. Comando de Operações Navais) with headquarters in the capital of the country.

Navy

Naval districts

• 1st Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Rio de Janeiro)
• 2nd Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (El Salvador)
• 3rd Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Natal)
• 4th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Belem)
• 5th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Rio Grande)
• 6th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Ladariu)
• 7th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Brasilia)
• 8th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (São Paulo)
• 9th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy (Manaus)

Submarine forces

Naval aviation

Consolidated into the Fleet Aviation Command (port. Comando da Força Aeronaval) with headquarters at the San Pedro air station (Rio de Janeiro), subordinate to the Naval Operations Command.

The main strike force is a squadron (20 aircraft) of carrier-based Skyhawk A-4MB attack aircraft (Brazilian designation AF-1), purchased from Kuwait (former A-4KU). They are designed to operate from the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo (formerly the French Foch). There are also 3 vehicles in a training version.

Additionally, 12 two-seater vehicles have been in the process of modernization by Embraer since 2009.

Pilot training was carried out in - gg with the help of a private contractor in the USA (Kay & Associates, Meridian Air Station). Deck qualification took place on the aircraft carrier Minas Gerais in January 2001 (with the participation of American instructors).

The remaining forces consist of helicopters of various classes.

Naval aviation is based at the air station:

• San Pedro (port. Base Aérea Naval de São Pedro da Aldeia ), state of Rio de Janeiro
• Ladariu (port. Base Fluvial de Ladário), state of Mato Grosso do Sul, on the territory of the naval base

In addition, naval aviation uses an air base in Manaus (port. Base Aérea de Manaus) and an airfield on the island of Terrapleno de Leste (port. Ilha do Terrapleno de Leste)

Marines

Navy Special Forces

Base points

Combat composition

Navy

Naval aviation

Marines

Navy Special Forces

Equipment and weapons

Navy

Naval aviation

Marines

Prefix of ships and vessels

Flags of ships and vessels

Official flags

Insignia

Admirals and officers

Sergeants and sailors

Signs on hats

An excerpt characterizing the Brazilian Navy

, (port. Marinha do Brasil) consist of the navy, naval aviation, marine corps and special forces units. The naval forces control about 60 thousand people.
The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest state in the South American continent in terms of area and population. Occupies the eastern and central parts of the continent. The length of the land borders is about 16 thousand km. It has a dense river network. The Amazon River, the largest in the world in terms of basin size, depth and length of the river system, flows through its territory. From the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the length coastline- 7.4 thousand km. It also includes a number of island archipelagos.
Brazil is a major maritime power. Its economy is largely dependent on the state of merchant shipping, which requires protection. In addition, in the territorial and economic waters of the country there is a large number of wells for oil production, part of the license payments from the production of which goes to modernize the military fleet.
Brazilian Navy photo organization and structure

From left to right, emblem of the Brazilian Navy, Submarine Fleet, Marine Corps or Marine Fusilier Corps

The Brazilian Navy is headed by a minister who exercises overall command of the force through the Naval Operations Command. It includes commands: the Navy (Navy), Marine Corps (MC), control over sea ​​shipping and naval areas. Operational leadership is exercised by the Chief of Force Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations (both with the rank of Admiral).
For the benefit of the Navy, the country is divided into nine naval regions or districts:

1. 1st Naval District of the Navy (headquarters in Rio de Janeiro),
2. 1st district (El Salvador),
3. th (Natal),
4. th (Belen),
5. -th (Rio Grande),
6. -y (Ladariu),
7. th (Brasilia),
8. th (Sao Paulo),
9. -th (Manaus).

Story Brazilian Navy photo
The Brazilian Navy dates back to March 1823, when Admiral Cochrane (Lord Thomas Alexander Cochrane) led the country's fleet fighting for separation from Portugal and raised his flag on the ship Pedro the First.
Until the mid-1970s, the Navy consisted almost entirely of rebuilt and modernized US Navy ships from World War II.
The republic is currently modernizing its Navy and intends to acquire, after 2014-2015, three modern FREMM-class frigates, two Barroso-class corvettes, five NAPA-500-class patrol boats and five LCM8-class landing boats, as well as eleven non-nuclear submarines (until 2023 ) and three submarines with nuclear engines (with the help of France), and in the future - atomic weapons (the development of which is being carried out under the leadership of the country's armed forces and, above all, the Navy).
Compound Brazilian Navy photo
Now the navy includes 98 ships and vessels. The combat core of the fleet consists of: the aircraft carrier A12 "São Paulo" (former French light aircraft carrier "Foch"), five diesel-electric submarines (German project 209/1400), nine frigates, five corvettes, five landing ships and nine patrol ships, as well as six offshore minesweepers.
In 2003, the aircraft carrier São Paulo underwent a major overhaul in the French port of Brest.

The Brazilian Navy aircraft carrier Sao Paulo will only be replaced by a new one in 2025

As of early 2012, its operational air wing consisted of 15 AF-1 aircraft (the Brazilian designation for the American A-4BR Skyhawk attack aircraft), four to six SH-3A or SH-3D helicopters, two UH-13 or three UH-14s, and two or three Tracker S-2T aircraft (with updated avionics) were used as AWACS. The Brazilians plan to operate the aircraft carrier A12 Sao Paulo for at least another 10 years, with replacement by 2025 with a new ship.

Preparing a UH-12 helicopter of the Brazilian Navy for takeoff from the deck of the aircraft carrier Minas Gerais. Exercise UNITAS XXV, 1984

The frigate flotilla (9 units) consists of three Project 22 1st series ships (purchased in the UK) and six Niteroi class ships (built by Vosper Thornycroft). The last two Niteroi-class frigates were built in Brazil and were the first capital ships (with modern weapons) to be built in Brazil.

Brazilian Navy frigate Constitution class "Niteroi", Sevastopol photo 2013

Work is underway to create and equip the so-called Type-26 frigate, the concept of a promising “Unified Combat Ship”. There is still not enough information about the frigate itself, but it is known what clear sky The English Sea Septor air defense system will be in charge of it, which replaced the ones that are still in service with Type-23 class frigates.
The corvette class ships (five units) are represented by four ships of the Inhauma class and one of the Barroso class, built according to national projects.

Brazilian Navy corvette Frontin class Inhaúma

Inhauma-class corvettes are multi-purpose and are designed to search and destroy submarines and surface ships, engage ground targets and patrol in a given area. Their armament includes Exocet MM-40 anti-ship missiles, but lacks anti-aircraft missile systems, which is a disadvantage.

Brazilian Navy destroyers "Marsilio Diaz" and "Alagoas" in the foreground, joint exercises of nine countries

A two-shaft diesel-gas turbine unit is used as a power plant. In 1994, construction began on an improved version of the corvette of this project - Barroso. Domestic corvettes cost the Brazilian fleet 120-140 million US dollars (in 1983 prices) per unit, and the construction of each took 6-7 years.
The Navy has five older amphibious ships: two landing dock ships (Thomaston class) and three large tank landing ships (one Sir Galahad class, one Sir Bedivere class and one Newport class). In addition to large landing ships, there are also eight landing craft (three LCU class and five LCM8 class), which are used as landing craft.
There are nine patrol ships in service. The newest of these are four river patrol boats (Amazonas class) built in the UK. In addition to the patrol ships, there are another 17 large patrol boats (LPB), the newest of which are 12 Grajau type PSC (German project) and 2 NAPA-500 type PSC (French project).
The Brazilian Navy's aviation (numbering about 1,300 people) is exclusively carrier-based aviation, which can be deployed on the aircraft carrier São Paulo or on large ships of the fleet. It contains

AF-1/AF-1A attack aircraft on the deck of the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo of the Brazilian Navy

• 23 American AF-1/AF-1A attack aircraft and deck helicopters:
• 18 American multi-purpose IH-6B (Bell 206B),
• 5 transport UH-14 (Eurocopter AS.332F),
• 2 UH-14 (EC AS.532),
• 8 multi-role UH-13 (EC AS.355F2),
• 17 UFI-12 (assembled under license AS.355F2),
• 7 American anti-submarine SH-3B "Sea King",
• 13 British Westland AN-11A "Super Linke"
• 4 UH-15 (EC-725 Super Cougar).

It is necessary to add that Brazil has the largest fleet of helicopters in South America, the ability to modernize existing machines and to acquire new ones, including for the needs of the Navy. Naval aviation bases are located at:

• naval air base Sao Pedro da Aldea,
• Rio Grande Naval Air Station,
• Manaus Air Base and Ladariu River Base.

The Marine Corps (MC) of the Brazilian Navy, or Corps of Marine Fusiliers (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais), was founded in 1808. Currently, the number of MPs is about 15 thousand people. The MP Corps consists of the main command, the command of the MP forces in the fleet and marine corps groups.

Marine forces include

• an amphibious division (three infantry brigades, an air defense regiment, and a headquarters company),
• reinforcement units,
• command of the airborne unit,
• Marine Corps Base in Rio Meriti and the Tonelero Special Operations Battalion.

MP groups are based at Marine Corps bases in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Natal, Belem, Rio Grande, Ladario and Brasília. The river operations battalion of the Brazilian Marine is located at the base in Manaus.
Special forces are represented by detachments of combat swimmers GRUMEC and GERRMEC.

Brazilian Navy(port. Marinha do Brasil) - one of the three branches of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting maritime operations. Includes the Navy, Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, as well as special forces units. The Brazilian Navy is the largest navy in South and Latin America and the second largest in the Western Hemisphere after the United States Navy.
In addition to traditional naval missions, the Brazilian Navy also performs merchant marine safety and security tasks that are typically assigned to coast guard forces in other countries.

Prefix of ships and vessels

Brazilian Navy steam frigate Recife 1850

In the 1850s, the position of Secretary of State for the Navy was created, the headquarters of the Navy was significantly reorganized, and the Naval Academy was opened. New ships were added to the fleet, and ports and shipyards received new equipment. The Imperial Marine Corps was created on the basis of marine units, as well as a naval artillery corps and several maritime educational institutions.

In 1851-1852, the Brazilian fleet took part in the Laplata War under the command of British Rear Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell.
Soon after the reorganization of the fleet, Brazil entered into a war with Paraguay, which was technically a land power. The Paraguayan fleet consisted of a single gunboat and several hastily armed civilian vessels. However, thanks to the use of amphibious forces, the Paraguayans were able to occupy several important Brazilian fortresses. Soon Argentina and Uruguay entered the war on the side of Brazil. On June 11, 1865, the Battle of Riachuelo took place between the fleets of the Triple Alliance and Paraguay, ending in an unconditional defeat for Paraguay and becoming the decisive battle of the war.

Battleship Aquidaba 1893

After the end of the Paraguayan War, Brazil continued to build up its naval forces, resulting in the fifth largest navy in the world in 1870, with 92 pennants. At the same time, most of the Brazilian ships were modern construction, including steam corvettes, early ironclads and other steel-hulled ships.

On November 30, 1883, a practical torpedo school was founded in Rio de Janeiro, the first in South America. Brazil's torpedo fleet by that time consisted of four steam gunboats and one schooner equipped for launching torpedoes. The Imperial Armada reached its zenith with the commissioning of the ironclads Riachuelo and Aquidabã. These ships, equipped with torpedo tubes, allowed the Brazilian fleet to maintain its position as one of the world leaders. By 1889, the Brazilian Navy consisted of 60 ships. In the late 1880s, the Minister of the Navy, Admiral José da Costa Azevedo, began a radical reorganization, but in 1889, as a result of a peaceful revolution, Emperor Pedro II was removed from power and exiled from the country. At the same time, the fleet led by Admiral Saldana da Gama acted on the side of those who supported the preservation of the monarchy, but this uprising was brutally suppressed, and many naval officers were confused, sentenced to prison or expelled from the country.

Naval revolt of 1893-1894

In September 1893, Admiral Custodio de Mello again launched an uprising against the dictatorship of the president, Marshal Florian Peixoto, who led the Brazilian army. For two months there was a skirmish between the ships and the forts of Rio de Janeiro, during which the rebel destroyer was sunk, and the old cruiser Javary was loosened by its own shots and sank. During the siege of Rio de Janeiro, Marshal Peixoto managed to create his own fleet, purchasing several ships abroad. March 10, 1894 new fleet appeared in the direct line of sight of the rebel ships, which caused panic and flight of the crews to the shore. All the ships were captured without firing a shot, and the flagship battleship Aquidabã was sunk on 15 April by two mines.

South American Dreadnought Race

Battleship Sao Paulo

At the beginning of the 20th century, tensions between Brazil, Argentina and Chile led to a naval rivalry known as the South American Dreadnought Race. The Brazilian government, trying to bring its country into the ranks of world leaders, initiated a radical rearmament of its own navy, ordering the construction of three battleships. But soon the government abandoned the construction of these ships and decided to build three dreadnoughts of the Minas Gerais type instead. Argentina and Chile also ordered the construction of similar ships, in response to which Brazil placed an order with the UK for the construction of the super-dreadnought Rio de Janeiro, and the order for the construction of a third ship of the Minas Gerais class was cancelled. Brazil became the third country, following Great Britain and the United States, to receive dreadnought-type ships into its fleet. This brought the Brazilian fleet ahead of its competitors in France, Germany, Russia and Japan. The arms race that began in South America led to the build-up of naval forces around the world, and above all in Europe.

World Wars

Monitor Fluvial Paraguassú

Brazil entered the First World War at the end of 1917 and its participation in this war was of a declaratory nature, although it lost several merchant ships as a result of attacks by German submarines. These attacks forced the Brazilian Navy to begin patrolling the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but no military engagements were recorded during these patrols.

In the post-war period, the next reorganization of the Brazilian fleet was carried out taking into account the negative experience of the dreadnought race and the main attention was paid to the construction of small ships, as well as strengthening the submarine fleet.
After the outbreak of World War II, Brazil was quite long time maintained fairly close and friendly relations with both Germany and its opponents. The Brazilian army received weapons from Germany, but at the same time took part in a joint operation with the United States to capture Dutch Guiana. Only in 1942 did Brazil join the Inter-American Defense Council, finally siding with the Allies. This allowed German submarines to begin destroying Brazilian merchant ships, previously considered allied. These attacks resulted in Brazil declaring war on the Axis powers on August 22, 1942.

Destroyer Beberibe, 1943

A group of US Navy ships, later called the US Fourth Fleet, began to operate near the coast of Brazil. Brazilian ships also carried out combat operations together with the Americans, in addition, the United States was able to use military bases and airfields on Brazilian territory.

Brazil's own fleet by that time consisted mainly of outdated ships, so the Americans took an active part in its retrofitting and reorganization. After strengthening, the Brazilian Navy actively participated in the fight against German submarines in the South and Central Atlantic, as well as in the Caribbean. The main task of the fleet was to guard allied convoys heading to North Africa and the Mediterranean. Between 1942 and 1945, the Brazilian Navy escorted 574 convoys, providing protection to 3,164 merchant ships. At the same time, the convoy losses amounted to only three ships, while Brazilian ships carried out more than sixty-six attacks on German submarines; in total, 9 German submarines were destroyed off the Brazilian coast: U-164, U-128, U-590, U- 513, U-662, U-598, U-199, U-591, U-i 161. Brazil lost 32 merchant ships and one warship during the war. In addition, during the war, the corvette Camaquã was lost during a storm, and the cruiser Bahia sank after an ammunition explosion.

Post-war period

In the post-war years, the Brazilian fleet received several ships from the allies represented by the USA and Great Britain, in addition, several captured German ships were transferred to Brazil. In the 1950s, more modern ships, usually foreign-built, began to enter the fleet.

Lobster War

A squadron of Brazilian ships during the Lobster War

In 1961, the Brazilian Navy took part in an incident called the “Lobster War.” The cause of the conflict was the actions of French fishermen who began fishing for lobsters off the coast of Brazil, which caused discontent among local fishermen. Brazilian admiral Arnoldo Toscano sent two corvettes to the conflict area and, under threat of force, forced the French to leave the shelf zone. In response, France sent its destroyer to the area of ​​the state of Pernambuco, but it was blocked by the forces of the squadron led by the aircraft carrier Minas Gerais. Ultimately, the warring parties decided to resort to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. During the trial, an incident arose related to the parties’ different approaches to determining the identity of the lobsters. The Brazilians considered lobsters to be a species of continental shelf dweller, while the French considered them to be free-swimming crustaceans in international waters. In response to the French version, Brazilian admiral Paolo Morreira da Silva suggested that the French classify kangaroos as birds, since these animals spend part of their lives in the air. In the end, the court decided to expand the coastal zone in favor of Brazil by 200 nautical miles, but allowed French fishermen to fish for lobsters in this zone for the next 5 years.

Peacekeeping activities

In 1964, sailors of the Brazilian Navy took part in a coup d'etat, as a result of which Marshal Humberto Castelo Branco came to power. This period marked the beginning of a new policy both in the organizational structure and in the priority areas of fleet development. Old ships began to be gradually decommissioned, and modern frigates, corvettes and submarines were built in their place. The changes also affected the criteria for selecting sailors for military service and further training.
Since the reorganization, the Brazilian Navy has participated in various peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN, including the 2004 missions in Haiti and the 2011 missions in Lebanon.

Organization

Operation Felino to land the Brazilian Marines

The Brazilian Navy is currently divided into:

Aircraft carriers NAe São Paulo and USS Ronald Reagan

• Navy
  • 1st Naval District (Rio de Janeiro)
  • 2nd Naval District (El Salvador)
  • 3rd Naval District (Natal)
  • 4th Naval District (Belen)
  • 5th Naval District (Rio Grande)
  • 6th Naval District (Ladariu)
  • 7th Naval District (Brasilia)
  • 8th Naval District (São Paulo)
  • 9th Naval District (Manaus)
  • 1st Navy
  • 2nd Navy
  • Submarine forces
• Naval aviation
• Marine Corps
• Navy Special Forces

Base points

Naval Air Station Sao Pedro da Aldea

• • Castro e Silva submarine base
  • main naval base of Rio de Janeiro
  • Naval shipyard Arsenal Rio de Janeiro
  • Naval Air Station Sao Pedro da Aldea
  • Marine Corps Base Ilya Governador
  • Marine Corps Base Ilya Flores
  • Marine Corps Base Rio Meriti

190 mm guns of Fort Copacabana

• • naval repair base Aratu
• Rio Grande do Norte:
  • naval base Natal
  • naval repair base Almirante Aru Parreiras
• Pair:
  • naval repair base Val de Caes
• Mato Grosso do Sul:
  • fluvial de Ladario river aviation and naval base
• Amazonas:
  • Rio Negro river fleet base
  • Rio Grande River Fleet Base

Equipment and weapons

As of 2014, the Brazilian Navy includes:

Aircraft carrier Sao Paulo

* 1 aircraft carrier:

Submarine S31 Tamoio

* 9 frigates

Modern and powerful submarine forces will allow Brazil to claim the role of a global player. Brazil is located far from the traditional theaters of military operations in world history, at least in our European understanding. And its history as an independent state cannot be compared with the countries of the Old World.

The country gained independence only in 1822, and before that it was under the rule of the Portuguese crown. However, all this did not prevent Brazil from becoming one of the leading naval powers in Latin America, whose fleet in the Western Hemisphere is second only to the US Navy in combat potential. In addition, today Brazil is the only Latin American country that is implementing a large-scale program to create modern submarine forces, and in the future, a nuclear submarine.

And including special forces

The naval forces are currently one of the three branches of the Brazilian Armed Forces and organizationally include the fleet, aviation, marines, as well as special forces, logistics units, etc.

The Brazilian Navy is headed by the Minister of the Navy, who exercises overall leadership of the national Navy through the General Headquarters of the Navy, the Command of Naval Operations and the General Command Marine Corps. The main headquarters of the Navy is located in the city of Brasilia. The main headquarters includes the Admiralty, the Department of Hydrography and Navigation, the Department of Research and Development, the Personnel Department, the Logistics Department and the General Secretariat.

The Naval Operations Command includes the command of the surface fleet, submarine forces, naval aviation, as well as control of maritime traffic and naval areas.

The national shipbuilding industry of Brazil has the competence to build submarines.

It should be noted that the head of the submarine forces command is subordinate to a special operations forces unit - a separate elite detachment of combat swimmers GRUMEC (Grupamento de Mergulhadores de Combate, official creation date - December 12, 1997). This is a Brazilian naval special forces, whose personnel were trained by American and French military instructors. Training of personnel of this detachment is carried out on special 6-month courses. training courses at the Underwater Systems Center of the Brazilian Navy, located in the Niteroi base. The majority of teachers and instructors at the center today are French military.

The training program for Brazilian combat swimmers includes preparation for conducting any types of reconnaissance and sabotage operations (actions). The detachment has a special special group “capture and rescue” (GERR/MEC) of about 50 people, designed to carry out operations to rescue hostages held at sea, river boats or in the jungle, as well as for the liberation of oil platforms, ships, etc.

Based on the German genius

The submarine force is one of the most numerous, modern and combat-ready in Latin America. The main base of Brazilian submariners is the Admiral Castro e Silva naval base near Rio de Janeiro. There are five non-nuclear submarines in service, including four Tupi-class diesel-electric submarines and one Tikuna-class diesel-electric submarine (an improved version of the Tupi-class submarine), which are a modification of the famous German Type 209 project. (Type 209/1400 and Type 209/1400Mod, respectively).

The lead submarine of the Tupi class (S30) was built at the German HDW shipyard in Kiel in 1989, and the remaining three ships Tamoyo (S31), Timbera (S32) and Tapaio (S33) were built in 1994– 1999 already at the Brazilian shipyard in Rio de Janeiro (Navy Arsenal) from materials and kits received from Germany. It is worth noting that under the original contract from 1984 until the end of the 1990s, it was planned to build four Tupi-class submarines in Brazil, and then two more under an improved design. As a result, only three submarines of the Tupi type and one submarine of an improved project, the Tikuna type (project SNAC-1), were built. The latter was laid down at the shipyard in 1997, launched in April 2000 and subsequently transferred to the fleet.

The improved Tikuna (S34) differs from the basic project in its increased displacement (surface - 600 tons more, underwater - almost 1 thousand tons more), increased dimensions (length - 6 m more, width - 2 m), increased up to 300 m immersion depth, as well as an expanded range of weapons - new Bofors-2000 torpedoes, Exoset or Sub-Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a total ammunition load of 16 missiles and torpedoes (or up to 32 mines of the MCF-01/100 type instead of part torpedoes), and a new ship-based fire control system such as ISUS 83-13.

The second submarine of this type, Tapuya (S 35), was never built (it was originally planned to introduce it into the fleet in 2005). Preference was given to purchasing a batch of Scorpena-class submarines.

As part of the MODSUB program, the Tupi-class submarine was modernized: a contract worth $35 million, issued on January 29, 2008, is being executed by Lockheed Martin. As part of the modernization, the installation of a new automated combat control system (ACCS) of the AN/BYG-501 Mod type is provided. 1D (Lockheed Martin), as well as improvements in auxiliary mechanisms, sonar and electronic weapons, weapons control systems, self-defense and navigation.

OSI Geospatial Inc. supplies the ECPINS navigation system for submarines, which will be integrated with the BIUS/ASBU and will replace the similar Calypso III system from Thomson-CSF, while automated system data processing KAFS-A10 from Ferranti is being replaced by the SUBTICS automated control system developed by UDS International, a division of DCNS. In addition, the submarines will receive new side GUS antennas, and the previously armed Mk. 24 Tigerfish from Marconi Underwater Systems Ltd are being replaced by American Mk48 Mod6AT from Raytheon. Work on the first submarine "Tapayo" (S 33) was completed in 2011. The contract provides for the corresponding modernization of the coastal training center for submarine forces.

French aid

On January 29, 2008, Brazil entered into a large-scale agreement on military-technical cooperation with France, within the framework of which a preliminary contract was signed on December 23, 2008, and a final, more detailed contract was signed on September 3, 2009 regarding France's assistance in modernizing the submarine forces of the Brazilian Navy (cost contracts - about 6.7 billion euros).

In particular, the Brazilian government entered into a contract with French shipbuilders for the supply of four Scorpene-class nuclear submarines (Scorpene, in the Scorpene S-BR modification), specially modified to meet the requirements of the Brazilian Navy. The new submarines are classified as the Riachuelo class; their armament is planned to include the Exocet SM39 Block 2 Mod 2 anti-ship missile system. The submarines will also receive SUBTICS automated control system and S-CUBE sonar system Thales company Underwater Systems (TUS) and mast lifting devices from Sagem.

The contract executor is BSC (Baia de Sepetiba Consortium), a joint venture of the French DCNS and the Brazilian Odebrecht Defesa e Technologia (Odebrecht Defense and Technology), and the actual construction of the submarines is carried out at the shipyard of the ICN company (Itaguai Construcoes Navais), the founders of which were DCNS and the Brazilian Odebrecht Defesa e Technologia and NUCLEP (Nuclebras Equipamentos Pesados ​​S/A). The latter specializes in the field of nuclear technology. It is assumed that these submarines will enter the combat composition of the Brazilian Navy's submarine forces in the period starting from 2016–2017, at intervals of two years, and will receive names in honor of Brazilian geographical objects: Riachuelo (S40, 2016–2017), Humaita "(Humaita, S41, 2018), "Tonelero" (Tonelero, S42, 2020) and "Angostura" (Angostura, S43, 2022).

All forces go to the nuclear-powered ship

The military-political leadership of Brazil pays special attention to the extremely ambitious program of submarine shipbuilding - the development and construction on its own, although not without the help of foreign specialists, of a nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarine with a displacement of about 6 thousand tons (received the designation SN-BR), for which the budget It is planned to allocate about 1.4 billion dollars. Moreover, the project to create its own nuclear submarine, the first steps on which were taken in Brazil back in 1979, today is part of a more comprehensive PROSUB program, which provides for the construction of a large batch of submarines of various classes and types for the Brazilian Navy.

On the Brazilian side, the nuclear-powered submarine program is managed by COGESN, which is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and has an annual budget of $250 million.

Under the terms of the aforementioned agreements and contracts signed in 2008-2009, the French side committed to assist Brazil in the construction of a new naval base - the location of future Brazilian nuclear submarines - and a modern shipyard in the city of Sepetiba Bay, in the Rio region -de Janeiro. Here it is planned to build the lead nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarine, as well as four modified Scorpena-class non-submarine submarines. Metal for the first submarine began to be cut in June 2011, and its keel took place in 2013. The lead submarine “Riachuelo” was originally laid down in 2010 at a shipyard in Cherbourg and will be completed in Brazil.

The new shipyard was inaugurated by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in March 2013. In addition, French specialists provide significant assistance in the design of a nuclear submarine, in which, as indicated, many of the solutions implemented in the Barracuda-class multi-purpose nuclear submarine project, as well as some of the most important systems, including a nuclear power plant, will be implemented.

In addition to the above, within the framework of the said agreement, the French side undertook to fulfill a number of other conditions: transfer of technology; equip training facilities and train the necessary personnel; deliver 30 “heavy” F21 torpedoes developed by DCNS, Thales Underwater Systems and ATLAS Elektronik GmbH, 50 CANTO underwater target simulators (Terma and DCNS companies); assistance in the construction of a complex as part of a submarine force base and shipbuilding complex (EBN); construction in Brazil of a specialized production complex for the production of metal structures (Manufacturing Unit for Metal Structures - UFEM), etc.

Let us add that the military-technical cooperation agreement of 2008 also provides for the supply of 50 helicopters to the Brazilian Navy in the amount of $1.9 billion.

The commissioning of the first national nuclear-powered vessel into the fleet is planned for 2023–2025 (it was originally planned to do this in 2010). However, Brazilian specialists, before embarking on the active phase of the nuclear-powered submarine creation program, decided, as they say, to try their hand at a less complex option - to develop and build a non-nuclear submarine on their own.

It was assumed that if this project was successfully implemented, two problems would be solved: firstly, the replacement of obsolete Tupi-class submarines in the fleet would increase the combat potential of the Brazilian Navy's submarine forces, and secondly, this would enable Brazilian shipbuilders to obtain invaluable experience in the design and construction of modern submarine combat ships.

In the form of such a trial application of effort, the SNAC-1 project (National Submarine of the Ticuna type), developed by the engineering department of the Brazilian Navy as a transition to the creation of the first national nuclear submarine (SNAC-2 project), became the project. Subsequently, however, the Brazilian admirals decided to change the partner in the national submarine shipbuilding program: instead of Germany, as we see, today the emphasis is on cooperation with France.

We will know the results of this only in a few years. In the meantime, specialized media have published information that the national nuclear submarine shipbuilding program has taken a significant step forward in connection with very serious progress in the creation of a prototype of a national nuclear reactor. As is known, nuclear reactor type PWR (pressurized water nuclear reactor), developed within the framework of the IPEN/MB-1 project at the Aramar Technology Center, which came into operation in the São Paulo area in 1988.

In accordance with the approved plans, a 50 MW nuclear reactor intended for a promising Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine will provide the submarine with a submerged speed of up to 25 knots and should have been prepared for installation on the nuclear-powered submarine in 2004, but for a number of reasons the plans were postponed for a longer period .

In conclusion, we note that, according to plans announced in 2012, in the period until 2031, the Brazilian fleet should receive a significant number of warships and auxiliary vessels, including nuclear and non-nuclear submarines, frigates and corvettes of guided missiles, ocean-class patrol ships, landing ships, etc. As a result, by 2034, Brazilian admirals expect to have a submarine fleet of at least 15 non-nuclear and six nuclear attack submarines.