A importância dos navios dos propósitos múltiplos para o poder naval brasileiro no Século XXI

Abstract

In recent years, warships have been developed until we get, in the 20thcentury, the Multi-Purpose Vessels(MPV).In the 19thcentury,we have seen significant changes in ships like steam propulsion, oil fuel and metallic hulls. The airplane improvement thattook place in the 20thcentury lead us to the birth of the Aircraft Carrier, who became the capital ship of the fleet. The World War II witnessed the important roll played by the amphibious ships at the Normandy beaches as well as during the American island to island campaign in the Pacific.The helicopter development during the second half of the 20thcentury forced navies to build amphibious ships with flight decks.The road then was paved to arise a vessel which have both aviation and amphibious capabilities in the same platform: The Multi-Purpose Vessels. New developments in naval warfare like the Harrier jump jet, the ski jump; the tilt-rotor aircraft, the amphibious watercrafts and the well deck,helped to improve the MPV capabilities, making then a cheaperalternativeto aircraft carriers. Tight defence budgets as we see today generate a tendency for the main navies to incorporate MPV to their fleets.They are the vessels for the called post-modern navies in the today ́s interconnected and globalized world, because they should be prepared to face multiple tasks.These versatile and flexible vesselshave good transport capabilities that allow then to also be used in begnine activitiessuch as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, which is very important to dual navies.The Brazilian Navy recent decision to retire and replace the São Paulo Aircraft Carrier, and the purchase of a vessel with multiple purpose caractheristics, indicatesthe need to discuss and to research about the MPV. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to investigate the importance of the MPV in the use of Naval Power in its three dimensions, naval warfare, limited use of force and benigne activities, for the noAircraft Carrier brazilian Naval Power. Initially, MPV’s origin and concept have been identified, as well as the vessels in service and its use around the world. After that, the contribution of contemporary naval thinkers like Mahan, Till, Booth, Castex andVidigal, and its relation with the MPVhas been examined.Then,the connections among the use of the brazilian Naval Power, the retirement of São Paulo Aircraft Carrierandthe implications of the Atlântico Helicopter Carrier puchasehave been analyzed. Finally, the MPV Air Group and the future prospects have been investigated.