Spanish Navy’s first S-80 submarine a step closer to entering service

Spanish shipbuilding firm Navantia has revealed that it will start mooring trials for the first Spanish Navy’s S-80 Plus-class submarine Isaac Peral (S-81), bringing the submarine one step closer to entering service.

According to the company, the tests represent important safety milestones that will further verify the activity of all systems. The vessel will undergo the trials after completing the first five safety checks, including starting of diesel generators and charging of the batteries.

The launching ceremony for the submarine, the first in a series of four new air-independent propulsion (AIP) S-80 submarines being built for the Spanish Navy was hosted in April last year.

The next phase will be sea trials, which include sailing up to the maximum operating depth. The first sailing is scheduled for early 2022 and delivery to the Spanish Navy in early 2023.

The submarines belonging to this class feature an overall length of 80.8 meters, a diameter of 7.3 meters, and a submerged displacement of around 3,000 tonnes. They include the integrated combat system and platform control system developed by Navantia Sistemas.

In November last year, Navantia choose compatriot telecommunications company Telefónica to provide cybersecurity systems for the S-80 class submarines.