Brazilian Navy seeks to improve international naval cooperation and integration with new centre

Systems aboard Tamandaré-class frigates, like F Tamandaré shown here, will feed into the IFC South Atlantic. (Brazilian Navy)

The Command of Maritime Operations and Blue Amazon Protection (COMPAAz) of the Brazilian Navy is slated to soon establish a multinational and multi-domain maritime cooperative and collaborative centre for information sharing in the City of Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, to strengthen maritime domain awareness and support integrated maritime governance in the South Atlantic.

The IFC (Information Fusion Centre) South Atlantic is scheduled to be formally activated in November, the Commander of the COMPAAz, Rear Admiral Luciano Calixto de Almeida Junior, told Janes .

The IFC South Atlantic represents a concrete opportunity to transform cooperation into capacity by integrating navies, coast guards, institutions, organizations, and companies to enhance maritime domain awareness, Rear Admiral Calixto told Janes on 30 September.

The centre will involve operational integration between its members, Rear Admiral Calixto observed.

IFC South Atlantic was designed to be a cooperative operational centre, focused on integration between national and international partners, incorporating different perspectives and contributing collaboratively and cooperatively to maritime security and regional stability, Rear Admiral Calixto noted.

Systems included aboard the new Tamandaré-class frigates being commissioned into the Brazilian Navy will contribute to strengthening situational awareness of the South Atlantic, feeding that information into the new centre. Some of the new systems include the HENSOLD TRS-4D ROT 3D multi-function surveillance and target acquisition radar, Atlas Elektronik ASO 713 active sonar, Thales STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 medium-range tracking radar, and Safran PASEO XLR long-range identification and tracking systems, as well as expanded aviation capabilities.