Navantia’s second S-80 Plus submarine Narciso Monturiol has been floated off ahead of her delivery to the Spanish Navy.
As per a recent press statement, she is now undergoing moored harbour trials to test all systems, including key safety milestones such as fuel loading, battery charging, and propulsion tests.
Once successfully completed, the programme will move to sea trials to put the boat’s navigation and diving systems through their paces.
The second S-80 Plus-class submarine was recently christened at a special ceremony at the firm’s Cartagena shipyard.
The new 81-metre boat, which has been named after the inventor of the first air-independent and combustion-engine-driven submarine, is destined to follow the first-in-class sub Isaac Peral into active service in summer 2026.
The conventionally-powered attack submarines use a third-generation Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system which transforms bioethanol into high-purity hydrogen fed into a series of fuel cells.
This enables them to remain submerged for weeks at a time without needing to rise to periscope depth; their maximum endurance has been estimated at between 30 and 55 days.
Four of the 3,000-tonne boats are initially due to be built for La Armada, with an option for two more. The hulls of the other two boats, Cosme Garcia and Mateo García de los Reyes, have been laid down in Cartagena; they are due to enter service in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
The 81-metre boats displace almost 3,000 tonnes and can travel at 19 knots submerged; they have an estimated range of about 5,000 nautical miles
The submarines have a crew of 32 with accommodation for eight additional special forces soldiers as operationally required. They have six torpedo tubes and can optionally be fitted with Harpoon or Exocet anti-ship missiles; the Spanish Navy is also looking at arming the boats with a sub-launched version of Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile.
- You can read more details on the Navantia website