MANSUP Project weapon, already in tests, will be used in the new “Tamandaré” Class Frigates
By First-Lieutenant (RM2-T) Luciana Almeida – Brasília, DF
The Brazilian Navy (MB), through the Weapons Systems Directorate (DSAM), and the EDGE Group, a defense conglomerate from the United Arab Emirates, signed, on Wednesday (14), a cooperation partnership for the development of a sustainable business model for a family of anti-ship missiles. The National Surface Anti-Ship Missile (MANSUP) will equip the four new “Tamandaré” Class Frigates, which will be ready starting in 2025.
The event took place at the facilities of the Navy Staff, in Brasilia (DF), where the Chief of the Navy Staff, Admiral José Augusto Vieira da Cunha de Menezes, received several personalities, with highlight to the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Brazil, Saleh Ahmed Salem Alzaraim Suwaidi, the Minister of State of International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, and the Global CEO of the EDGE Group, Mansour al Mullah.
Admiral Cunha says that, with this agreement, the MB boosts technological development in the country. “The most important expected result is to bring the competitive advantages that the EDGE Group has, together with the experience and capabilities of the Brazilian Navy, so that we can form a sustainable business model and have a very promising future in terms of the sale and production of these missiles. Thus, we will strengthen the research, development, and innovation that favor the expansion of the MANSUP project and our operational capabilities, boosting our efforts in the long term,” he highlighted.
In the MANSUP Missile Project, five successful anti-ship missile launches have already been conducted, advancing to the qualification phase of the various subsystems and serving as an important milestone in the development of a family of anti-ship missiles. “Throughout the project, the Navy maintained close coordination with several partner companies, which made these successes possible. I am confident that the experience of the MB in the actions resulting from this Protocol of Intent with the Edge Group paves the way for a new phase, which aims at the industrial scale production of this missile, ensuring important technological sovereignty to our Navy,” pointed out Admiral Cunha.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***