Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has completed the installation of the air-independent propulsion (AIP) system equipment, based on hydrogen technology, on a Spanish Navy’s S-80 submarine, S-83 submarine.
As disclosed, the work has been completed at Navantia’s shipyard in Cartagena. This technology will provide the Spanish Navy’s submarines with the capability to remain submerged for extended periods, compared to a few days for conventional diesel-electric submarines.
The AIP System, commercially named BEST (bio-ethanol stealth technology) by Navantia, is an innovative energy production plant that allows the submarine’s batteries to be recharged while submerged.
This plant is based on a bioethanol reforming process – a renewable fuel obtained from organic feedstock – to produce a hydrogen-rich stream that is fed, together with pure oxygen, to a fuel cell to generate electrical power stealthily.
Navantia’s AIP is a third-generation system that doesn’t require stored hydrogen. Instead, it generates hydrogen on demand. This provides a tactical and safety advantage, boosting strategic autonomy and deterrence, according to the company. Furthermore, the system, combined with extensive sensors, improves crew safety and minimizes the personnel needed to operate the submarine, it was noted.
In November 2023, Navantia delivered the first S-80 submarine to the Spanish Navy, Isaac Peral. 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 by Navantia, was hosted in April 2022.
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.
The submarine also features a combat system developed by Navantia Sistemas in collaboration with the US firm Lockheed Martin, with capacity, unique (for NATO and EU) amongst conventional submarines of similar characteristics, to launch land-attack tactical missiles.
The S-80 program has meant a technological leap for Navantia and its cooperating industries, placing them at the forefront of the world’s conventional submarines market.