Navantia, fully committed to India and the ‘Make in India’ philosophy, wishes the Indian Navy a very Happy Indian Navy Day
Navantia, the Spanish naval shipbuilder, first entered India more than 15 years ago, when the company participated in the design and transfer of technology to India’s of six Kalvari class submarines being built in MDL (Mumbai), deploying a resident team in India between 2006 and 2013. Some years later, teaming with Larsen & Toubro Defence, Navantia participated in the LPDs tender, as a result of which the Indian Navy had the opportunity to host the Spanish Navy LHD Juan Carlos I in Mumbai in 2017.
Currently Navantia is participating in the P75(I) project and proposes to provide the required ‘Know How’ and ‘Know Why’ through a Technology Transfer programme to achieve permanent design, construction and maintenance capabilities in India.
The Spanish Navy S-80P submarines, in an advanced stage of construction in Navantia, are proposed as the baseline for the P75(I) project, the most important and strategically significant naval programme being undertaken by the Indian ministry of defence. The Indian Navy requirements are very similar to the S80P making Navantia’s offer a smart and lower risk solution.
In addition, Navantia is fully committed with the Make in India philosophy, having gone itself through a similar experience over the last decades, evolving from a shipbuilder using foreign designs, to a turnkey supplier able to go through all design, build, commission and life cycle support phases, positioning Navantia to assist other navies and international shipbuilders with a wide range of Transfer of Technology solutions.
S-80P under construction; 4 units for the Spanish Navy
Navantia has successfully carried out the power-up activity tests to the S-81 ‘Isaac Peral’ submarine. The S-81 is the first of four S-80P class submarines under construction for the Spanish Navy by Navantia. The power-up is a relevant safety-related commissioning milestone prior to launching, which is scheduled for the spring of 2021.
The power-up is the very first time in which the boat is electrically energised. This involves the start-up of the main electricity distribution networks, as well as the emergency systems, which allow the gradual electrification of all the submarine’s equipment. The power-up is carried out in order to check the submarine’s correct operation, both individually and integrated along with the rest of its equipment.
The S-80P are 3000ton non-nuclear submarines provided with a revolutionary third generation Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, and powerful attack capabilities including the ability to deploy heavy weight torpedoes, mines and submarine launched anti-ship and cruise missiles. This is quite an exceptional performance, in fact, the capacity to launch submarine cruise missiles (SLCM) is unique for non-nuclear NATO submarines.
The main innovation in Navantia S-80P submarine is the last-generation AIP system developed by the company in cooperation with Abengoa and Collins Aerospace, called BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technologies). This system enables up to three weeks underwater operation with low-consumption profiles. The combination of the AIP system, together with next-generation Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) systems is complementary, since LIB systems are ideal for full speed scenarios facilitating quick entering or exit from warfare scenarios. Long underwater patrol periods combined with high speed possibilities bring tactical capabilities to a new level for non-nuclear submarines.
