Brazil commissions patrol ship armed with new gun system

Brazil commissioned a third Macaé-class patrol ship on 2 December in Rio de Janeiro. (Brazilian Navy)

The Brazilian Navy commissioned NPa Maracanã (P72) – the fleet’s third Macaé-class NPa 500 patrol ship and the first one armed with a 40 mm BAE Systems Bofors 40 MK4 naval gun system – on 2 December, at state-owned shipyard Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ).

Unlike the first Macaé-class ships, the NPa Macaé (70) and NPa Macau (P71) commissioned from Indústria Naval do Ceará (INACE) in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and were armed with an ST Engineering 40 mm NADM330.

Two Bofors 40 Mk4 systems and related spares, tools, and training were acquired by the Navy Weapon Systems Directorate in 2013 for EUR8.3 million (USD8.73 million), the navy earlier told Janes .

A fourth Macaé-class boat, NPa Mangaratiba (P73), is being built.

A contract to build NPa Maracanã , NPa Mangaratiba , NPa Miramar, and NPa Magé boats was awarded to Estaleiro Ilha S/A (EISA) in September 2009, and the contract was amended in December 2011 to include a fifth ship, NPa Maragogipe .

However, the navy rescinded the contract to build the five ships on 3 February 2016 – stopping work on the boats – after EISA failed to deliver the boats on time, and meet other contractual obligations, the navy told Janes .

The Brazilian Navy then signed an agreement on 27 August 2019 to finish building NPa Maracanã and NPa Mangaratiba at AMRJ. Assistance was provided by the naval engineering firm GHENOVA.