The Spanish MoD on 5 November signed a contract for Navantia to build a new submarine rescue vessel at its Puerto Real shipyard.
The Buque de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS) will replace the Neptuno, which is nearing the end of its service life with the Spanish Navy.
While the value of the deal (announced on the final day of the FEINDEF exhibition in Madrid) was not disclosed, the MoD stated that it expects the new vessel to be delivered in 42 months’ time.
The contract covers construction of the new vessel plus the acquisition and integration of underwater intervention equipment.
‘The integration of the systems, sensors and equipment it [BAM-IS] must carry to address its wide range of missions will mean a new technological advance for Navantia,’ the MoD added.
It was planned that these submarines would have an Anaerobic Propulsion System (AIP) designed in Spain , but finally the first two will be delivered without it, delaying their implementation to the first major hull, which in the " Isaac Peral" will take place in 2029.
The broadcast of the official delivery of the submarine 'Isaac Peral' to the Spanish Navy
This Thursday, November 30, the Spanish Navy will experience a long-awaited moment: the delivery of the first of its new S-80 submarines.
The delivery ceremony will be held in Cartagena at 12:00 CET. It will be broadcast live on the Navantia YouTube channel, its construction company.
The "Isaac Peral" S-81 is the largest submarine in the Spanish Navy , with a length of 80.81 meters (its predecessors of the Galerna class have a length of 67.57 meters). Its hull has a diameter of 7.3 meters and the submarine has a surface displacement of 2,695 tons.
The new submarine is equipped with six torpedo tubes (compared to four for its predecessors). These tubes have the capacity to launch German-made DM2A4 torpedoes, with a diameter of 533 mm, guided by fiber optics and with a range of up to 50 kilometers. The forecast is that the S-80 can reach a speed of 19 knots with an autonomy of 50 days.
The "Isaac Peral" will be the first of four submarines of its class. The second will be called "Narciso Monturiol" S-82 and its delivery to the Navy is scheduled for mid 2025. The third will be the "Cosme García" S-83 , with delivery scheduled for the end of 2026. And the fourth will be the "Mateo García de los Reyes" S-84 strong>, with delivery scheduled for 2028. These four ships are named after famous Spanish sailors related to underwater weapons.
Until now, the Spanish Navy only had one active submarine, the "Galerna" S-71 (here we see it sailing alongside the "Isaac Peral" during the sea trials of the new submarine). The "Galerna" was launched in 1981 and entered service in 1983 . She was the first of four submarines of the Ella class, derived from the French Agosta class: the "Siroco" S-72, the "Mistral" S-73 and the "Tramontana" S-74 . Those four submarines had names related to the wind.
The S-80 submarines have had a rocky development. Initially the program had a cost of 1.8 billion euros and the delivery of the first submarine was scheduled for 2013 . Finally, the program has had a cost of around 4 billion, with delivery that has been delayed a decade. Its size has forced the docks of the Cartagena submarine base to be expanded , since its pits were designed for smaller submarines.
It was planned that these submarines would have an Anaerobic Propulsion System (AIP) designed in Spain , but finally the first two will be delivered without it, delaying their implementation to the first major hull, which in the " Isaac Peral" will take place in 2029.
