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Paper aims This paper aims to select the best helicopter to be acquired by the Brazilian Navy (BN), enabling greater logistical and combat capacity in marine operations. For this purpose, we applied the AHP-TOPSIS-2N, a hybrid multicriteria method composed by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and two normalization procedures (2N). Originality In this paper, a real military case study is conducted to support the decision-making process in BN, contributing to the better performance of the Brazilian Armed Forces. The application of the methodology resulted in two lists of ordering and prioritization of helicopters, providing transparency and simplicity to the decision-making process. Research method We analyzed six aircraft models, considering attack helicopters used by the Armed Forces of developed countries, in the light of their operational and tactical criteria. The selected helicopter would be employed in the fire support and reconnaissance, required by the Brazilian Marine Corps Amphibious Operations. Main findings After the application of the method, the AH-64E APACHE was chosen as the most suitable helicopter to be acquired by the Brazilian Navy. Implications for theory and practice This study brings valuable contribution to academia and society, since it represents the application of a Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method in the state of the art to contribute to the solution of a real problem of the BN. The methodology presented in this paper can notably be used to solve real problems of the most varied types – tactical, operational and strategic – thus being a very useful method for decision-making.