At a “Cerimônia de Mostra de Armamento” event on January 12 at the Base de Submarinos da Ilha da Madeira (BSIM) in Itaguaí, Humaitá (S 41) was formally signed over to the navy and commissioned in front of Defense Minister José Mucio Monteiro. The French Naval Group created the Riachuelo class, commonly referred to as S-BR, as a customized version of the Scorpène design.
By means of the ICN joint venture founded with Brazil’s Novonor, Naval Group is carrying out the PROSUB (Programa de Desenvolvimento de Submarinos) program, which is based on a strategic defense agreement signed by the French and Brazilian governments in December 2008. ICN was granted permission in December 2019 to carry out submarine maintenance in addition to taking on new naval building or manufacturing projects outside of the scope of PROSUB.
In September 2009, the Brazilian government finalized the specific details of the deal with Naval Group. The initial scope of supply consisted of eight separate contracts and included three main components: support for the design and construction of a new submarine build facility and naval base in Itaguaí; design and manufacturing services related to the non-nuclear elements of Brazil’s first nuclear-powered submarine, known as SCPN (Submarino Convencionalmente Armado com Propulsão Nuclear), and a transfer of technology package for the in-country build of the four Scorpène S-BR boats.
The S-BR version of the Scorpène has a longer hull (from 66.4 m to 71.6 m) than the previous versions in order to satisfy the Brazilian Navy’s unique needs for greater endurance, longer range, and space for a larger crew. The S-BR design, which weighs 1,870 tonnes when submerged, has six 533 mm launch tubes that can be used to fire mines, MBDA Exocet SM39 Block 2 Mod 2 missiles, and heavyweight torpedoes from Naval Group F21. It is possible to carry up to 18 weapons total—12 on racks within the weapon compartment and another six in tubes.
Humaitá was launched in December 2020, and in December 2022 it commenced a comprehensive program of sea trials. This has involved the first weapon firings with F21 practice torpedoes as well as a deep dive. According to information provided to Naval News, the submarine should be completely operational by the end of 2024’s first quarter.
During the commissioning ceremony, the first-class Riachuelo (S 40), which was put into service in September 2022, was docked next to Humaitá. As a guard ship, the Niteroi class frigate Defensora was berthed on the opposite quay.
The construction hall in Itaguaí is home to the third and fourth S-BR submarines, which will be called Tonelero (S 42) and Angostura (S 43). Tonelero’s launch is scheduled for March of this year, with sea trials beginning later in 2024 before the ship is turned over the following year. Angostura is now running about 12 to 13 months behind schedule. The ship is supposed to launch in April 2025 and conduct sea trials later in 2025, with a handover scheduled for 2026.
On January 12, a new headquarters for the Brazilian Navy’s submarine force, known as the Comando da Força de Submarinos, was also opened at the BSIM building. The Force de Submarinos, the submarine branch of the Marinha do Brasil, was formerly based on Mocanguê Island in Nitéroi.
Álvaro Alberto, the SCPN’s non-nuclear components, is being designed and built with cooperation from Naval Group. In 2022, the SCPN program entered the primary C phase of detailed design. Naval Group has a current contract with the project to offer design support through 2032.
The SCPN design will move about 7,000 tonnes and have a length of about 100 meters. According to current plans, Álvaro Alberto should be completed between 2036 and 2037; in October 2023, the navy cut the first steel plate of a qualification portion.
