The new Navy submarine, the S-81 Isaac Peral, is a very modern defense weapon that will help Spain's international projection from the moment it completes its first mission, for which, for the moment, it will take approximately one year. anus. It is a submersible with a view to the future because, although its navigation and combat systems are cutting-edge technology, the most relevant of the innovations with which it was designed is not yet available. Its ultra-silent propulsion system, with which it could remain underwater for up to three weeks without surfacing, is not yet installed and may still take a few years to be installed.
This inconvenience, which is not such that the Isaac Peral will soon carry out important missions entrusted to it by the Government, does not obscure the undeniable advances that, for example, its fully integrated combat system has. All of the submarine's equipment is Spanish-made, which is a milestone within the national naval industry. This Thursday it was delivered to Armada by the Navantia firm.
With the construction of the series of S-80 class submarines, Spain has entered the select club of the only 10 countries in the world capable of building their own conventionally powered submersibles.
This ship is 80 meters long and its tube, as some sailors call it colloquially, is seven meters in diameter. Its combined diesel engine and batteries allow it to travel at about 35 kilometers per hour underwater (19 knots). Furthermore, all the automation of her systems allows her to be controlled with only 32 crew members, who will not be able to avoid the constraints of this type of boat.
Although the world's navies are loath to comment on the capabilities of their ships to the millimeter, it is believed that the S-81 can descend to a maximum depth of 300 meters. The Isaac Peral can be extraordinarily quiet when she sails with the electric motor exclusively. It is a boat with very modern anti-acoustic systems.
However, the piece that would allow this undetectability under water to be extended to two or three weeks and not approximately 24 hours as is believed to occur at present, is the so-called anaerobic propulsion system AIP, of which, for the moment, the boat is missing. This complex mechanism acts in a way similar to that of a hydrogen fuel cell. It does not need oxygen to function and does not emit carbon dioxide, which is why the immersion can last so long. There is no need to snorkel, which is what the Navy calls the maneuver that allows you to take in fresh air from the surface, for which you have to be at a very shallow depth. This exposes the integrity of the vessel much more to any threat.
Nobody knows exactly when the AIP system can be installed on the Isaac Peral. There is speculation that it could be in its first major review, called carena, which is usually carried out every four years. So, for now, we will have to wait.
Until that happens, the S-81 will continue to be one of the best, if not the best, of the current conventional submarines, leaving aside, of course, the nuclear-powered ones.
In addition to complex radar and sonar systems, the Isaac Peral has offensive capabilities that make it very versatile for different types of missions. It is equipped with ultra-modern torpedoes, which allow it to open fire on surface and submerged ships, and has missiles with which it can attack land, whenever it has surfaced.
It is also a very appropriate ship to carry out intelligence missions, due to its ability to be very silent, or special operations due to its extraction capabilities, as well as to carry out rescue operations.
It cannot be denied that this submarine has been a long road. The S-80 development program was approved in 2004. Almost 20 years have passed since engineers started their calculations. At the beginning of the work, it was never thought that the delivery of the first submersible would be so delayed and its development has been plagued by technical obstacles and inconveniences that have been overcome and for which a lot of time and money have had to be spent. This is an investment of 4,000 million euros that will allow the final delivery to the Navy of three other submarines: the S-82 Narciso Monturiol, the S-83 Cosme García, and the S-84 Mateo García de los Reyes. The latter two are expected to leave the shipyards with the AIP propulsion system installed directly.
