This is a list of current and historical equipment of the Brazilian Navy's Corps of Naval Fusiliers (CFN), also known as the Brazilian Marine Corps.
The CFN's firearms inventory as of 2010 was estimated at 4,300 pistols, 2,400 submachine guns, 17,600 automatic rifles, 1,600 medium machine guns and 300 heavy machine guns. [1] Individual marines wear two camouflage patterns, the older lizard standard and, since 2021, a digital pattern for urban environments. [2] [3] The lizard pattern consists of a light green background with brown and dark green strokes. It is used by all three branches of the Armed Forces and can be distinguished in the Navy by its lighter tones compared to Army camouflage. Parade uniforms have a bold red color. [4] [5]
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Taurus PT92AF | Brazil | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 [6] | |
Taurus PT 24/7G2 | Brazil | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Taurus MT-9A | Brazil | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 [6] | |
Heckler & Koch MP5SD | Germany | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 by Amphibious Commandos [6] | |
Heckler & Koch MP5KA4 | Germany | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 by Amphibious Commandos [6] | |
IMI Mini-Uzi | Israel | 9×19mm | In use in 2014 by Amphibious Commandos [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mauser 1908 | Germany | 7.65×53mm | In use in 1929 [7] | |
SAFN-49 | Belgium | 7.62×63mm | 1957 – 1978 [8] | |
M1 Garand | United States | 7.62×63 mm | In training use in the 1950s [9] | |
FN FAL | Brazil | 7.62×51mm | In limited use in 2014 [6] | |
Colt M16A2 | United States | 5.56×45mm | 1997 [1] – present (2014) [6] | |
Colt M4 | United States | 5.56×45mm | In use in 2014 by Amphibious Commandos [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mossberg 590 | United States | 12 ga | In use in 2014 [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fuzil Automático Pesado | Brazil | 7.62×51mm | In use in 2012 [10] | |
FN MAG | Belgium | 7.62×51mm | In use in 2014 [6] | |
FN Minimi | Belgium | 5.56×45mm | In use in 2014 [6] | |
Browning M2HB | United States | 12.7×99mm | In use in 2014 [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Parker-Hale M85 | United Kingdom | 7.62×51mm | Under replacement by the PGM Ultima Ratio in 2014 [6] | |
PGM Ultima Ratio | France | 7.62×51mm | In use in 2014 [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
PGM Hecate II | France | 12.7×99mm | In use in 2014 [6] |
Name | Origin | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
SB LAG 40 | Spain | 40mm | In use in 2010 [11] | |
M203 | United States | 40mm | In use in 2012 [10] | |
Mk 19 | United States | 40mm | In use in 2014 [12] |
Name | Origin | Number | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M20 Super Bazooka | United States | 89 mm | In use in 1997 [13] | ||
M40A1 gun | United States | 8 (1997) [13] | 106 mm | In use in 1997 | |
AT-4 | Sweden | 84 mm | In use in 2012 [10] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
RBS 56 Bill | Sweden | 18 (2012) [14] | In use in 2021 [15] |
Name | Origin | Number | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M60 Brandt | France | 103 (2012) [14] | 60 mm | In use in 2014 [6] | |
M29A1 | United States | 26 (2012) [14] 18 (2024) [16] | 81 mm | In use in 2024 [16] |
Armored fighting vehicles are present in the CFN since July 20 1973, when the Motorized Transport Battalion received five units of the EE-11 Urutu. Armored vehicles would be used in this battalion, renamed Amphibious Vehicles Battalion in 1985, [17] [18] and in the Tank Company, created in 1980 to employ the EE-9 Cascavel. [19] The latter was disbanded in 2003 and its assets joined with a company of the Amphibious Vehicles Battalion to form the Marine Armor Battalion. [20] Most of the CFN's armor is organized within this battalion. [21] The Amphibious Vehicles Battalion operates the Assault Amphibious Vehicle, locally known as the Carro sobre Lagarta Anfíbio (CLAnf). [22] By the International Institute for Strategic Studies's (IISS) estimate, as of 2024 the CFN operated 18 light tanks, 60 armored personnel carriers, 47 amphibious armored vehicles and two armored engineering vehicles. [16]
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
SK-105 Kürassier | Austria | 17 A2S and 1 4KH7FA (recovery vehicle) (2001) [19] | 2001 [19] – present (2024) [16] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
EE-9 Cascavel | Brazil | 6 | 1980 [18] – 1998 [23] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
EE-11 Urutu | Brazil | 5 [17] | 1973 – earlier than 1986 [17] | |
M113 | United States | 30 (24 M113A1 transports, 2 M125 A1 mortar carriers, 2 M571 A1 command posts, 1 XM806E1 recovery vehicle and 1 M113 A1G repair team carrier) (1974) 66% in operation (2010) [20] | 1974 [20] – present (2024) [16] | |
Carro sobre Lagarta Anfíbio (Assault Amphibious Vehicle 7A1) | United States | 11 (1997) [13] 26 (2012) [14] | 1986 [24] – present (2024) [16] | |
Mowag Piranha IIIC | Switzerland | 30 (2024) [16] | 2007 [25] – present (2024) [16] | |
Oshkosh L-ATV | United States | 12 (2024) [26] | 2023 – present (2024) [26] |
Artillery has a tradition with Brazil's marines since the 19th century. [27] Under different names, the CFN was an artillery force until its conversion into infantry in 1847. [28] A new artillery unit was founded in 1962 and since 1993 named Marine Artillery Battalion. [27] The IISS estimated a total of 65 artillery pieces in service in 2024, from multiple rocket launchers to howitzers and medium mortars. [16]
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Astros FN 2020 | Brazil | 6 (2024) [16] | 2014 [6] – present (2024) [16] |
Name | Origin | Number | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M114 | United States | 6 (2012) [14] | 155 mm | In use in 2024 [16] | |
M101 | United States | 15 (1997) [13] | 105 mm | Possibly in use in 2024 [lower-alpha 1] | |
L118 | United Kingdom | 18 (2012) [14] | 105 mm | 1999 [30] – present (2024) [16] |
Name | Origin | Number | Caliber | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soltam K6A3 | Israel | 6 (2012) [14] | 120 mm | In use in 2014 [6] [lower-alpha 2] |
The CFN fields a single anti-aircraft artillery battery, [31] created in 1995 [32] and organized under the Air Combat Battalion. [33] Its armament consists of anti-aircraft guns and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), both of which are exclusively for low-altitude targets.. [34]
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bofors Bofi-R C70 | Sweden | 6 (2012) [14] | In use in 2021 [34] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
MBDA Mistral | France | 18 (2012) [14] | 1994 [35] – present (2021) [34] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Saab Giraffe 50AT with a Hägglund BV-206D tractor | Sweden | 1996 – present (2021) [34] | ||
Saber M60 | Brazil | 2014 – present (2021) [34] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
GMC DUKW [36] | United States | 34 | 1970 [37] – 1980s [36] | |
Biselli CamAnf [36] | Brazil | 5 |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mercedes-Benz Unimog [38] | Brazil | 148 U2150 (2003) 90 U5000 requested(2020) | 1999 – present (2022) | |
Ford Cargo | Brazil | 15 (2013) [39] | ||
Mercedes-Benz Axor | In use in 2019 [40] | |||
Mercedes-Benz 1725 | In use in 2019 [40] | |||
Mercedes-Benz Atego | In use in 2022 [40] | |||
Iveco Tector 240 E 2013 | In use in 2023 [40] |
Name | Origin | Number | Period | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Land Rover Defender | In use in 2019; [40] under replacement by the Agrale Marruá [41] | |||
Chevrolet S10 | Under replacement by the Agrale Marruá in 2013 [41] | |||
Agrale Marruá | Brazil | 2008 [42] – present (2013) [41] |
The Brazilian Navy is the naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval operations.
The Brazilian Army is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordinating itself, in the Federal Government's structure, to the Ministry of Defense, alongside the Brazilian Navy and Air Force. The Military Police and Military Firefighters Corps are legally designated as reserve and auxiliary forces to the army. Its operational arm is called Land Force. It is the largest army in South America and the largest branch of the Armed Forces of Brazil.
The Brazilian Marine Corps is the Brazilian Navy's naval infantry component. It relies on the fleet and Naval Aviation and fields its own artillery, amphibious and land armor, special operations forces and other support elements. Its operational components are the Fleet Marine Force, under the Naval Operations Command, in Rio de Janeiro, and Marine Groups and Riverine Operations Battalions, under the Naval Districts in the coast and the Amazon and Platine basins. The FFE, with a core of three infantry battalions, is its seagoing component.
The Portuguese Marine Corps constitutes the Elite Marine Commandos and the Special Operations Branch of the Portuguese Navy. It has roles similar to the ones of the USMC Reconnaissance Battalions and of the Royal Marine Commandos and the 75th Ranger Regiment The Corps is specialised in air assault, amphibious warfare, anti-tank warfare, coastal reconnaissance and raiding, commando style raids, counterinsurgency, desert warfare, indirect fire support raiding, irregular warfare, ISTAR, jungle warfare, maneuver warfare, maritime interdiction, mountain warfare, providing security at naval base or shore stations, reconnaissance for gathering military intelligence, support special operations, tracking targets, urban warfare, and VBSS operations. It is an Elite Marine Commando Force, operating as a rapid-reaction force. Today's Corpo de Fuzileiros is the premier raid force. The Fuzileiros remains an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process followed by combat-focused training. Fuzileiros are resourced to maintain exceptional proficiency, experience and readiness.
The MSS 1.2 AC is a Brazilian anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). Operated by infantry or vehicles, the system consists of a reloadable launch tube, laser-guided missile and firing unit, as well as a simulator and testing equipment. It was developed out of Oto Melara's “Missile Anti-Carro della Fanteria”, which was rejected by the Italian Army. Brazilian involvement began in 1986 and it has since then been tested and redesigned by the Brazilian Army's research institutes and a series of Brazilian companies.
The Brazilian Naval Aviation is the air component of the Brazilian Navy, currently called Força Aeronaval. Most of its air structure is subordinated to the Naval Air Force Command, the military organization responsible for providing operational air support from Navy vessels, while four squadrons are subordinated to the Naval Districts, responsible for inland and coastal waters. ComForAerNav is headquartered at the Naval Air Base of São Pedro da Aldeia, where all aircraft fleet level maintenance is carried out and where the Aeronaval Instruction and Training Center is located, which forms its staff. Its pilots, all officers with one to three years of prior naval experience, fly its helicopters, airplanes and Remotely Piloted Aircraft as extensions of the ships' weaponry and sensors.
The Western Military Command is one of the eight Military Commands of the Brazilian Army. The Western Military Command is responsible for the defense of the states Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.
The Southeastern Military Command is one of eight Military Commands of the Brazilian Army. It is responsible for the defence of the state of São Paulo.
The Southern Military Command is one of eight Military Commands of the Brazilian Army. The Southern Military Command is responsible for the defence of the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and Santa Catarina.
The VBTP-MR Guarani is a 6×6 armoured personnel carrier developed by Iveco and the Brazilian Army as part of its "Urutu-III" modernization program aimed to replace all EE-11 Urutu by 2015. The 8×8 version of the VBTP-MR is the base of Iveco's Superav armoured personnel carrier. Other Brazilian companies also participated in the program, such as IMBEL (Communications), Elbit (Armaments), Usiminas and Villares.
Sistemas Integrados de Alto Teor Tecnológico (SIATT) is a Brazilian arms company founded in 2017 and headquartered in São Paulo. It primarily develops and manufactures precision-guided munitions. It supplies anti-ship missiles and provides training to the Brazilian Armed Forces.
The Brazilian Marine Pipes, Drum and Bugle Corps is the only field music formation in service in the Brazilian Marine Corps and within the wider Brazilian Navy, and one of a few active formations today in service in the Brazilian Armed Forces. Formed in 1822 on the basis of the field music formations of the present day Portuguese Marine Corps stationed in Brazil, it is also the oldest in South America.
The Aerospace Operations Command is a joint command of the Brazilian Armed Forces in charge of planning, coordinating and conducting the employment of aerospace assets. Although part of the Brazilian Air Force's structure, it includes personnel from the Brazilian Army and Navy. COMAE is the central body in the Brazilian Aerospace Defense System and as such, it is directly responsible for the aerospace defense of Brazilian territory and may control Air Force, Army and Navy units.
Madeira Island Submarine Base, commonly shortned BSIM is a submarine base of the Brazilian Navy, located in Itaguaí, Brazil.
The Riachuelo class are a Brazilian class of diesel-electric and nuclear-powered attack submarines developed by the state-owned shipyard Itaguaí Construções Navais, based on the French Scorpène-class as part of the Submarine Development Program.
This list shows the present and future strategic re-equipment and modernization programs of the Brazilian Armed Forces that was based on the documents of the National Defense Strategy of 2008, and subsequent versions of the Defense White Paper that outline the major defense programs in Brazil from 2008 until 2040. This list presents only the programs that are in production and construction, to see active equipment of the three branches, including that was listed on this page before the conclusion, see this links for the Army, Navy and the Air Force.