Spain’s S-80 Plus-class submarine

It is official: after 30 years of research and hard work, Spain has become one of the very few nations on planet Earth that can build powerful, advanced, and formidable submarines. Dubbed the S-80 Plus class, this stealthy and deadly submarine represents one of Spain's most important mega-projects in the past two decades. Needless to say, the project was a success, and countries are lining up to buy this marvelous Spanish invention.

Before we dive in, let's talk a little bit about the fascinating world of military submarines. Since World War II, submarines have evolved into the most deadly, stealthy weapons in existence. Even older, semi-advanced submarines can be quite deadly and destructive if operated competently.

Today, building one military submarine is nothing short of an expensive mega-project:

You simply cannot build an advanced and fierce military submarine by ordering parts from manufacturers or buying the designs. The technologies used are often classified secrets and designed specifically to prevent reverse engineering.

Even though nuclear-powered submarines are notoriously famous and intriguing, their captains fear nothing more than the modern and advanced smaller, stealthier conventional submarines. This is because conventional submarines are designed as fast hunters of the deep, while nuclear submarines are slow, loud, and designed as carriers of nuclear weapons for the purpose of deterrence.

This is why Spain has been implementing a conventional submarine development mega-project since the mid-1990s. Only recently, their program finally handed over the first S-80 submarine to the Spanish Navy, thus putting Spain on the path to military superiority. Three more submarines will be added to the fleet in the next four years.

It took Spain nearly 30 years just to develop one, and now it can produce several per year, making it one of the very few countries capable of producing such a formidable weapon. By all means, the S-80 Plus is superior to the notorious German-made Type 212A, Dakar, and Dolphin class submarines.

The whole story started on May 7, 2021, when the Spanish royals presided over the preliminary launching ceremony of the S-80. Spaniards celebrated the immense achievement, which is compared to building a world-class aircraft carrier because building superior submarines is an extremely complex process that requires a very rare type of engineers, large investments, and superior technologies.

The endeavor was not easy. The designs were changed many times since the 1990s to accommodate new advancements. This is why the word "Plus" was added after S-80; it is meant to show that it is a more modern design.

In late 2021, the first S-80 underwent rigorous tests to confirm its unparalleled capabilities and formidable weapons systems. Everything went smoothly, which is quite rare.

The S-80 Plus class submarines are:

The in-house developed AIP technology has been hailed as a colossal achievement due to its superiority that allows the submarine to perform more effectively during battles.

AIP stands for air independent propulsion, which is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen by surfacing or using a snorkel.

The S-80 Plus AIP system features:

The S-80's weapon system and advanced stealth and sonar capability give it an unparalleled edge.

It is equipped with:

The submarine's combat system can acquire, evaluate, and present all the information necessary for offensive, defensive, or intelligence actions, including control of the weapons and countermeasures. It can acquire and track multiple targets in different scenarios.

The S-80 Plus features three different types of sonars designed to increase the submarine's effectiveness and capabilities in terms of:

These sonars allow it to triangulate and target land, airborne, submerged, and surface targets while also obtaining acoustic intelligence.

The S-80 Plus is simply a game-changer for Spain and Europe and is also one of the rare true monsters of the deep that are worth respect. What do you think about the S-80 Plus Class Submarine by Navantia?