PHM Atlântico (A140) is an amphibious assault ship and current flagship of the Brazilian Navy. Originally constructed in the United Kingdom for service with the Royal Navy, she was commissioned on 30 September 1998 as HMS Ocean, serving until being decommissioned on 27 March 2018, and then commissioned into service with Brazil that following June. In December 2017, the Brazilian Navy confirmed the purchase of the ship for (GBP) £84.6 million, (equivalent to R$359.5M and USD $113.2M). Following her decommissioning from Royal Navy service in March 2018, she will undertake a period of maintenance in the United Kingdom and is expected to arrive in Rio de Janeiro by 25 August 2018,[9] with the intention of being commissioned and fully operational by 2020. Brazilian defence officials confirmed the purchase, as well as officials from the UK MoD, as of 17 February 2018.
The Brazilian Navy commissioned the multi-purpose helicopter carrier PHM Atlântico (A140) on 29 June in the United Kingdom. The helicopter carrier package for Brazil includes an Artisan 3D search radar, KH1007 surface surveillance radar system, four 30 mm DS30M Mk 2 remote weapon systems and four Mk 5B landing craft. However, the three original 20 mm Mk 15 Block 1B Phalanx close-in weapon systems, the torpedo defence systems and 7.62 mm M134 machine guns were removed from the ship before its transfer to Brazil. The ship displaces 21.578 tonnes, is 203.43 m long and has a range of 8,000 n miles. It has been undergoing maintenance work by Babcock and BAE Systems since February. Scheduled to reach its homeport, Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ), on 25 August, PHM Atlântico will undergo operational sea training under the Royal Navy’s Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) programme.
