BAE Systems announced on 16 July the sale of two “state-of-the-art” Bofors 40Mk4 naval gun systems for Brazil. The guns will be installed aboard patrol vessels being built for the Brazilian Navy’s Patrol Vessel Construction Project (Programa de Obtenção de Navios-Patrulha: PRONAPA).

In its press release, the company explained that the guns are effective against a variety of targets, including drones, missiles, helicopters, swarming boats, surface vessels, and land targets. According to the company, the gun can switch “seamlessly” among ammunition types to deliver “versatile” targeting of air-, land- and sea-based threats. BAE also noted that Brazil already operates “dozens of Bofors 40 mm guns.”

At press time, BAE Systems had not responded to FW MAG's request for information about the expected delivery timetable for the guns. 

The Brazilian Navy aims to increase control over the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, which together total 3.6 million km². Because of this vast maritime area’s riches in natural resources and mineral resources, the government and Navy label the Brazilian Sea as Amazônia Azul (Blue Amazon). Besides marine life, the area has many offshore oil deposits, which are being explored by the state-run Brazilian energy company Petrobras and international companies as well. 

To monitor and, if necessary, defend Brazilian waters, a large and modern fleet is necessary. The Brazilian Navy and domestic defense industries are already known regionally and globally for having domestically manufactured (in partnership with Naval Group) four SCORPÈNE-class attack submarines. The next objective is to manufacture a domestically built nuclear-powered submarine, the future SN ÁLVARO ALBERTO (SN-10). 

The service is also modernizing the surface fleet by acquiring decommissioned ships previously operated by the Royal Navy. Last decade, the service acquired the amphibious assault ship and helicopter carrier NAM ATLÂNTICO (A-140), the former HMS OCEAN. This year, the service will receive the Albion-class landing ship NDM OIAPOQUE, the former HMS BULWARK.

Brasilia is also building surface ships to protect the Blue Amazon. The most ambitious recent project is the domestic construction of four TAMANDARE-class frigates via the consortium Águas Azuis, led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and also Embraer Defesa & Segurança. One frigate is already commissioned. The newest ship is the CUNHA MOREIRA (F-202), which was launched in June and will now undergo sea trials.

The other ongoing shipbuilding project is the construction of MACAÉ-class patrol vessels, which is part of the PRONAPA program. The newest ship of the program, MANGARATIBA (P-73), was launched in May. During the launch ceremony, the Navy’s commander, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, explained that MANGARATIBA “will be assigned to the 4th Naval District Command, whose jurisdiction encompasses the mouth of the Amazon River and the Equatorial Margin—a new frontier possessing unique geological and energy potential.”

The fifth MACAÉ-class patrol vessel is under construction, and it is expected to be launched in 2028. Since BAE’s press release mentioned the PRONAPA project, we can assume that the patrol vessel in construction, the future MIRAMAR (P-74), will be equipped with a Bofors 40Mk4 naval gun. 

Brazilian defense news agencies have praised the acquisition of the Bofors 40Mk4 naval gun, explaining that the systems will provide patrol vessels with the capability to engage low-altitude threats and surface threats. In other words, a patrol vessel with a 40Mk4 naval gun is not solely able to engage in patrol missions of jurisdictional areas or law enforcement operations, but can also engage in certain combat missions.

During the launch of MANGARATIBA, the Brazilian Navy highlighted that the MACAÉ-class patrol vessels have a maximum range of 2,500 nautical miles (around 4,000 km), which allows them, among other missions, to “protect strategic facilities, like gas and oil platforms.” BAE Systems’ modern naval gun will help in this mission.

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