Navantia press release
The event has been attended by the General Director of Programs from the MoD, General Salvador Álvarez Pascual; the Chief of the Cartagena Arsenal, Vice Admiral Aniceto Rosique Nieto; the Director of Engineering and Construction, Vice Admiral Manuel Martínez Ruiz; the Chief of the Logistics Division, Admiral Gonzalo Sanz Alisedo; the Head of the Naval Systems Department of the DGAM, Nicolás Lapique Martín, and the Head of the S-80 Program, Javier del Corral. On behalf of NAVANTIA, the Director of Operations and Business, Gonzalo Mateo Guerrero-Alcázar; the Director of the Shipyard and S-80 submarines Program, Agustín Álvarez Blanco; the Director of Navantia Sistemas, Vicente Santamaría Calvario, and the head of the S-80 Program Office, Ignacio Núñez.
The event began with a brief tour of the submarine, where the progress of the construction of both the S-81 and S-82 submarines was shown. Next, a brief presentation of the submarine’s construction process was made, after which the Director of the Shipyard of Cartagena and the General Director of Programs from the MoD have given a speech, highlighting the importance of this event and the S-80 submarines program.
The closure of the resistant hull is a crucial milestone in the construction of a submarine, as it appears as a complete vessel. Previously, the loading of all the main modules has been carried out, as well as a very high level of completion of the sections. The next step is the completion of the fitting works and the beginning of the testing stage.
This step represents a change of phase. The work in the submarine is now focused on its launching, following a formal and regulated process, based on overcoming safety milestones. This process begins with the tensioning, when the submarine begins to receive electric current; then the battery boarding, to gain autonomy in power generation, and finally the floating and the sea trials.
The scheduled date for floating is October 2020.
The S-80 is the most advanced conventional submarine in the world. Its main features are:
- Length 80,81 m
- Total Sleeve 11,68 m
- Total Strut 13,69 m
- Diameter 7,30 m
- Surface displacement / immersion 2,695 / 2,965 t
- Accommodation 32 provision + 8 special forces
- Conventional submarine of high autonomy equipped with anaerobic propulsion
- Extremely low acoustic signature
- Excellent maneuverability at low speed
- Systems with high automation
- Next generation combat system
- Air independent propulsion system (AIP) – State of the art
- High complexity integrated design
