Move forward for the entirely Spanish-made submarine, the S80. Navantia has completed the shipment of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system equipment to the submarine S83which will allow you to spend more time underwater without having to surface.
This system is the key to the contract that Navantia is fighting for with the German Thyssenkrupp for the supply of six submarines to India, where it recently visited. Pedro Sanchez to defend the Spanish company.
As the company indicated in a press release published on Tuesday, this step represents a “fundamental step” in the S-80 program, unprecedented in the history of shipbuilding in Spain, knowing that said technology has been developed for the ministry. of the Defense of Spain.
This innovative system will allow Spanish Navy submarines to remain submerged for long periods, compared to just a few days for conventional diesel-electric submarines.
In addition, this development, which represents a first-level challenge for the national industry, allows Navantia to offer “unique capabilities” in international submarine construction competitions.
The AIP system – commercially baptized by the Spanish company BEST for its acronym in English (Stealth Bioethanol Technology) – is an innovative energy production installation which allows the submarine’s batteries to be recharged while it is submerged, thus avoiding to perform periodic diving maneuvers. to reload where the ship is detectable and most vulnerable.
This plant, as Navantia reports, is based on a process of reforming bioethanol – a renewable fuel obtained from raw materials of plant origin – to produce a hydrogen-rich stream with which it is fed, with oxygen pure, to a fuel cell. produce electricity discreetly.
Unlike equipment already operational in other marinas, the Spanish group’s AIP is a third generation system, since it does not require transporting hydrogen stored on board, but the system generates it itself by when necessary, which represents a tactical and security advantage. , increasing the strategic autonomy and deterrence capacity of the Ministry of Defense.
In this way, combined with the “extended sensorization” of the ship, it further increases the safety of the crew and the submarine itself, while minimizing the personnel operating it.
Participants of the event had the opportunity to visit the third section of the S-83 Cosme García submarine – which houses the onboard AIP equipment, liquid oxygen and bioethanol tanks and auxiliary systems necessary for its operation -, checking the work procedures and safety that were implemented at the time during the construction of the submarine.
