After the launching ceremony held at the beginning of October, the new S-82 Narciso Monturiol attack submarine of the Spanish Navy is preparing to begin its corresponding harbor and sea trials in the coming days. This was confirmed by Navantia through a brief statement on its social media, reporting the latest progress in the S-80 Plus Submarine Program.
It should also be noted that Navantia is advancing in the construction of the remaining two units, namely Cosme García (S-83) and Mateo García de los Reyes (S-84), whose main novelty will be the integration of the new third-generation AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) systems, extending the autonomy and enhancing the capabilities of the class.
Returning to the current status of the S-82, Navantia announced on November 17 that the submarine is already in the waters of Cartagena to begin its respective harbor and sea trials.
As was the case with the S-81, the second unit of the S-80 Plus class will undergo an extensive series of tests and evaluations of its propulsion, power generation, communications, sonar, and weapons systems, in order to move forward with its delivery to the Spanish Navy—an event expected, barring unforeseen developments, in 2026.
In Navantia’s words: “…the harbor trials will allow us to verify all systems, with various safety milestones such as the embarkation of diesel fuel, battery charging, and the propulsion test while moored.”
Finally, the gradual entry into service of additional units of the new class will allow the Navy to formally retire the current Agosta class, which currently has only one submarine in service, the S-71 Galerna. Although no specific dates have been set, the Spanish Navy plans to decommission the unit in 2027, thus bringing an end to more than four decades of notable service that began on January 21, 1983.
You may also like: Airbus successfully completed the first flight of the C295 SAR for the Spanish Air and Space Force
