South American Submarine Projects

Ambitious projects such as satellites that could bring the internet to the remote Amazon and construction of Brazil’s first nuclear submarine will proceed despite a deep economic downturn, the defense minister told AFP.

Raul Jungmann said he will be in France this Thursday to take delivery of the first of three communications and defense satellites built by France’s Thales and due for launching on March 21 next year.

The nearly six tonne, 2.1 billion reais ($617 million) satellite is at the core of a modernization of Brazil’s military that Jungmann said will still take hits during planned government austerity cuts.

“We know there’s going to be a new fiscal policy with a spending ceiling. We know we’ll have to cut back,” he said in an interview in Brasilia.

However, some projects “are already at an advanced stage and cannot be stopped, like the nuclear submarine or the four conventional submarines that are also being developed in France,” he said. “Three of them are already being built.”

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Brazil’s MDD initally saw the nuclear-powered submarine as a far larger boat, at 6,000t compared to the diesel-electric boats’ 1,400-1,800 tonnes. By 2013, a Marinha do Brazil tech center submarine design that used Brazil’s 2131-R Pressurized Water Reactor was expected to weigh in at 4,000t submerged. The model showed the 2131-R reactor positioned amidships, with 8 torpedo tubes at the front. Printed literature showed a 2nd design that traded 6 vertical launch tubes for 6 of the torpedo tubes.

Even 4,000t is significantly larger than France’s existing SSN Rubis Amethyste class fast attack boats, which weigh in at around 2,730t submerged. Some of this can be accounted for by the need for more space, in order to accommodate larger early-stage nuclear propulsion systems. Even so, the famous USS Nautilus managed to displace only 3,500 tons. Since nuclear weapons are specifically prohibited by Brazil’s current constitution, however, a large SSN fast attack vessel is almost certainly the goal. A 4,000t vessel would fit somewhere between the Rubis Amethyte boats, and France’s new 5,300t SSN Barracuda class

Construction of Brazil’s nuclear boat is expected to begin in 2015, and it’s expected to enter service in 2021. Cost for the submarine is pegged at about EUR 2 billion, with EUR 1.25 billion assigned to Brazil’s indigenous Project Aramar nuclear propulsion/ power program. DCNS’ role involves assistance with hull technology and construction, and with non-nuclear internal technologies.

Finally, Brazil aims to set up improved naval construction facilities and a base capable of handling nuclear submarines at Itaguai, a port just south of Rio. Brazil’s U209 submarines are currently based out of Rio de Janeiro, but that densely populated city offers too many technical and environmental issues to host nuclear-powered submarines. These construction projects are expected to cost EUR 1.868 billion (6.9 billion Reals). The nuclear submarine base will be built by the Sociedade de Proposito Especifico, or SPE consortium, which includes Brazil’s Odebrecht (50%), France’s DCNS (49%) and the Brazilian Navy (1% “golden share,” with veto power).

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