New submarine S-81 'Isaac Peral' will make its first surface navigation in May

USPA NEWS - The Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, traveled to Cartagena (Southeast Spain) on Monday to learn about the status of the S-80 submarine program, in particular the progress of the S-81 'Isaac Peral' tests, the Center for Diving of the Navy and the Salvage and Rescue Ship 'Neptuno'. "The Spanish Navy, with the S-80 program and everything that is going to surround it, is among the first in the world," explained Margarita Robles during her visit, in which she also congratulated herself on the "efficiency and professionalism here in Navantia," while highlighting the work of almost 500 companies that are working on the construction of the submarine, "an essential creation of jobs."

"The Navy is in the 21st century, with the F-110 frigates that are built in El Ferrol, with the S-80 submarines, the Maritime Action Ship (BAM IS) and everything that surrounds it," Minister Robles stressed in statements to the media. At the Navantia shipyards, the minister was able to find out in detail, thanks to the explanations given by the head of the shipbuilding company, Ricardo Domínguez, the current status of the S-80 program, four state-of-the-art submarines that will be delivered to the Navy in the next years.

They also explained about the testing phase of the S-81 'Isaac Peral' submarine, what its first surface navigation would be like, at the end of May, once the safety tests had been passed, and subsequently its first static immersion and first navigation in immersion, before its delivery to the Navy in April 2023. The minister stressed that this program "is very important for the Navy, for Cartagena and for Spain," and pointed out that "we must go little by little and follow the steps. We absolutely trust their professionalism."

Three other submersibles named after pioneers of underwater navigation (the S-82 'Narciso Monturiol', the S-83 'Cosme García' and the S-84 'Mateo García de los Reyes') will be delivered to the Navy between 2024 and 2028. The last two will already have the Anaerobic Propulsion System (AIP), which allows them to generate electrical energy and navigate for weeks without going to the surface, providing tactical and discretionary capabilities that do not exist to current date. With the advanced S-80 program, Spain enters the group of ten countries with the capacity to build conventional (non-nuclear) submarines.