PROVEN AIP FOR S80 SUBMARINES

The BEST AIP system is capable of operating at any depth and in all operational conditions, allowing it to adapt to any Navy mission and making it the most advanced AIP system on the market.

Navantia has successfully fulfilled one of the most remarkable milestones in the Spanish Navy's S80 submarine program: fitting the equipment that makes up the innovative Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system on board the S-83 submarine, the third of four in the series.

In an event conducted by the Spanish National Armament Director (DGAM), Admiral Aniceto Rosique, from the Spanish Defense Ministry, important delegations from India and other interested countries were able to check the technology that makes the S80 class one of the most advanced conventional submarine models on the market.

"Navantia's AIP BEST system is one of the major innovations incorporated in the S-80 class submarines, which will provide conventional diesel-electric submarines with unprecedented tactical capabilities", has assured Agustin Blanco, the director of the submarines business.

In September 2023, Navantia had already completed the factory acceptance tests of the AIP system in a testing facility unique in the world, built in Cartagena shipyard (Spain) for this purpose. This milestone allowed Navantia to finally verify the performance and operational capabilities of the AIP in a simulated operating environment, i.e. on land but with a high degree of fidelity to the demanding conditions that the system will have to withstand during a real mission.