Narciso Monturiol (S-82), the second of four S-80-class submarines that Navantia is building for the Spanish Navy, has successfully accomplished its first ‘power up’, Navantia announced on 11 March 2025.
The ‘power up’ entails the start-up of the main and emergency electrical distribution networks. From the completion of this milestone, the various equipment on board the boat then can be safely powered.
The ‘power up’ is the first safety milestone planned within the Safety Milestones Management Plan of the S-80 programme, which establishes a framework to demonstrate that the construction and testing process of the S-80 submarines is carried out in a way that ensures the lowest possible risk level.
As a complement to the safety milestone, the first harbour acceptance tests of Narciso Monturiol have been carried out as part of a programme that includes more than 1,500 verifications, including acceptance and builder tests.
While Spain’s S-80-class submarines will ultimately all be fitted with a hydrogen-based air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, first-in-class Isaac Peral (S-81), which was commissioned on 30 November 2023, and second-in-class Narciso Monturiol will not initially receive an AIP system but will have one retrofitted during their first major overhauls.
Navantia reported in November 2024 that the first installation of an AIP system into an S-80-class submarine – third-in-class Cosme Garcia (S-83) – had been completed.
Construction of the four S-80-class boats was authorised in 2003, with deliveries originally expected to begin around 2015, but excessive weight issues and a consequently required redesign caused significant delays. The redesigned class is now larger than when first conceived, with a length of 81 m instead of 71 m and a 3,000-tonne submerged displacement instead of 2,465 tonnes.
The submarines are armed with six 21-inch (533 mm) bow torpedo tubes and can carry heavyweight torpedoes, mines and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
