Navantia Launches Second Spanish Navy S-80 Submarine
Navantia has launched the second S-80 class submarine, Narciso Monturiol (S-82), at its Cartagena shipyard, advancing the Spanish Navy’s next-generation undersea capabilities.
The operation, completed over several hours using a floating dock, included careful safety checks both inside and outside the vessel.
Following its first water contact, the submarine will move to harbor tests, in which engineers will verify all onboard systems, fuel loading, battery charging, and propulsion checks while the Monturiol is moored.
It will then undergo sea trials to validate navigation, diving performance, and operational readiness under realistic conditions, ensuring that the ship meets safety and performance standards before commissioning into the military.
The S-80 Program
Madrid’s S-80 program, introduced in the early 2000s, will deliver up to six conventional, non-nuclear submarines to the Spanish Navy.
It is designed to replace the aging Galerna-class fleet, operational since the 1980s, with modern, stealthy, and highly automated platforms capable of extended underwater missions.
The initiative also reinforces the NATO member’s local defense industry, with state-owned Navantia serving as the Technical Design Authority for the class.
The first hull under the effort, the Isaac Peral (S-81), has been delivered and is undergoing operational testing. The third ship, Cosme García (S-83), is now under assembly, while the fourth, Mateo García de los Reyes (S-84), is still in the preliminary construction stage.
Submarine Specifications
Spain’s S-80 design spans 81 meters (266 feet) in length, has a beam of 12 meters (39 feet), and can accommodate more than 30 personnel.
It features Navantia’s proprietary Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology system, producing hydrogen for fuel cells that allow up to three weeks of submersion.
The vessel also carries a modern combat suite, developed with Lockheed Martin, that integrates sonar, electronic warfare, navigation, and weapons control for torpedoes, underwater mines, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and land-attack missiles.
The S-80 submarine has a maximum depth of 460 meters (1,509 feet), a speed of 19 knots (35 kilometers/22 miles per hour), and a range of 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles).
