Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
Usiminas supplies flat steel for the Tamandaré Class frigates of the Brazilian Navy built in Itajaí (SC), with 1,300 tons per ship between plates from Ipatinga (MG) and coils from Cubatão (SP), and the first vessel, the Tamandaré frigate (F200), has already been incorporated into the Fleet after fully national construction.
The largest Brazilian flat steel producer is behind the raw material that makes up the hull and structure of the war frigates that the Brazilian Navy is building in Santa Catarina. Usiminas has been part of the Tamandaré Class Frigates Program since 2020 as the only national supplier of flat steel for the project, and each of the eight ordered vessels consumes approximately 1,300 tons of the material, a volume that needs to have high mechanical strength, exceptional toughness, and weldability to withstand the harsh conditions of the maritime environment and defense operations. The company underwent a rigorous approval process that included mechanical tests, structural analyses, and welding evaluations conducted at the company’s Research and Development Center before the steel was approved for use in the frigates.
The first vessel of the program is already sailing. The Tamandaré frigate (F200) was incorporated into the Fleet last week in Rio de Janeiro, a milestone that represents an advance in the operational capacity of the Navy and in the modernization of the fleet with ships built entirely in Brazil using national steel combined with international technology. While the F200 begins its operations, three other frigates are under construction at the Itajaí shipyard: the Jerônimo de Albuquerque (F201), the Cunha Moreira (F202), and the Mariz e Barros (F203), and the Navy has already formalized the intention to expand the program with four more ships, totaling eight vessels that will demand more than 10,000 tons of steel from Usiminas.
Why the frigates’ steel needs to be different from common steel
The material that Usiminas supplies for the frigates is not the same as that used for civil construction or the automotive industry. The steel destined for warships needs to withstand impacts, marine corrosion, extreme temperature variations, and structural stresses that civilian vessels never face, requirements that make the manufacturing process significantly more complex and explain why Usiminas needed specific approval before supplying the material. The tests conducted at the company’s Research and Development Center evaluated how the steel behaves when welded under conditions that replicate shipbuilding, because the quality of the weld is as critical as that of the material itself in structures that need to withstand explosions, collisions, and decades of exposure to saltwater.
-
Are electric cars more economical? A study by Agora Verkehrswende reveals that gasoline can cost up to 9 times more than driving an electric car in Latin America, raising an alert about economy and energy transition.
-
How much does a store operator earn at Carrefour and Atacadão in 2026? Salaries are updated, but Profit Sharing, meal vouchers, and benefits by city can change the comparison between the chains.
-
End of the bricklayer profession in Brazil: labor crisis in civil construction reveals that children do not want to follow the profession, low wages drive workers away, and fertility drops from 6 to 1.6 children, worsening the shortage in the sector.
-
Airline pilots in Brazil can earn more than R$ 20,000 after years of experience, in a market with six professional categories and increasing demand for workforce, driven by the expansion of the aviation industry and the need for new captains and first officers.
The thick plates produced in Ipatinga (MG) form the hull and main structural components of the frigates. The hot-rolled coils manufactured in Cubatão (SP) are used in internal parts and coatings that require different shaping, and the combination of the two types of steel allows each frigate to have a structure that balances protection, weight, and operational performance. For Usiminas, supplying steel for warships is a technical validation that few steelmakers in the world achieve and positions the company as a supplier capable of meeting international military specifications.
What are the Tamandaré Class frigates and why are they built with national steel in SC
The Tamandaré Class Frigates Program is considered strategic for Brazil’s defense. The eight vessels are being manufactured at the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, in a process that combines a German-origin project with a high level of national content, including Usiminas steel, and knowledge transfer that allows Brazil to master military-level shipbuilding technologies. The choice of Itajaí as the construction site generates qualified jobs and develops a supply chain that includes everything from steelmaking to onboard electronics.
Admiral Arthur Fernando Bettega Corrêa, Chief of Staff of the Navy, highlighted the importance of the first frigate delivered. “This moment represents a qualitative leap for the Squadron, as it expands operational capabilities, including those developed in Brazil,” he stated, a declaration that reinforces the role of steel and other national inputs in the construction of ships that the country previously imported entirely. Walter Pinto Júnior, Vice President of Operations at Embraer Defense and Security, added that the Tamandaré frigate “is concrete proof that Brazil masters complex technologies and is capable of integrating high-level systems with international standards”.
The arsenal each frigate carries within 1,300 tons of steel
The steel structure of the frigates houses a combat system that operates in multiple dimensions. The Tamandaré frigate has the capacity to integrate real-time sensor and armament data, an architecture that allows it to simultaneously respond to threats coming from the air, surface, and seabed. Its firepower includes anti-ship missiles for engaging surface targets, vertical launch anti-aircraft missiles for protection against aircraft and enemy missiles, and torpedoes aimed at combating submarine threats, an arsenal that transforms each 1,300 tons of steel produced for the Itajaí shipyard into a multifunctional defense platform.
The artillery complements the missile system with options for different engagement distances. The ship features a 76-millimeter rapid-fire, high-precision main cannon, a 30-millimeter secondary cannon, and two heavy machine guns for short-range defense, a combination that ensures a proportional response to threats ranging from enemy frigates to smaller vessels and drones. All this operational capability depends on the structural integrity that Usiminas steel provides: without material that can withstand the stresses of firing, evasive maneuvers, and potential impacts, no weapon system would function properly.
What Usiminas’s participation means for the national steel industry
The supply of steel for the frigates goes beyond the commercial contract between Usiminas and the naval program. The qualification achieved by the Brazilian steelmaker demonstrates that the country has the industrial capacity to produce material that meets international military specifications, a competence that can be leveraged in future defense projects and that reduces dependence on imports in a segment where supply chain sovereignty is a matter of national security. Lúcio Sávio Miranda, a technical assistance specialist at Usiminas, stated that “our participation in the Tamandaré Class Frigate Program fills us with pride” and that the company “hopes to continue contributing in the next stages”.
With the Navy’s intention to order four more frigates in addition to the four already under construction, the demand for Usiminas steel is expected to extend for years. The 1,300 tons per ship multiplied by eight vessels total more than 10,000 tons of flat steel that the steelmaker will produce specifically for the frigates, a volume that sustains dedicated production lines in Ipatinga and Cubatão and maintains skilled jobs in the national steel industry. The program is an example of how investment in defense can boost civil industry: the steel that protects maritime borders is born in the same mills that supply material for bridges, buildings, and automobiles.
And you, did you know that the Navy’s frigates are built with Brazilian steel in Santa Catarina? Do you think Brazil should invest more in national defense? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Be the first to react!