Summary and Key Points: Defense expert Christian D. Orr examines Spain’s quiet resurgence in naval manufacturing amidst deepening geopolitical rifts with Washington. While tensions over NATO spending and base access dominate the headlines, the Spanish Navy is actively upgrading its aging fleet with the highly anticipated S-80 Plus-class (Isaac Peral-class) submarines.
-Armed with heavy torpedoes and eventually advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), these new diesel-electric attack boats represent a major leap in Madrid’s underwater combat capabilities.
Gotland-Class Submarines and more from Sweden. Image Credit: Swedish Navy.
Gotland-Class. Image Credit: Saab.
Inside Spain’s New S-80 Plus-Class Submarine
Spain is the lone NATO member-state that refuses to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense. In the latest U.S.-Spain dustup, Sánchez refused to allow jointly operated U.S.-Spanish bases there, such as Morón Air Base, to be used for war efforts against Iran.
It wouldn’t be much exaggeration to say that this is the lowest point in Spain-U.S. relations since the Spanish-American War of 1898, although Spain’s troop pullout from Iraq in 2004 also came close to that nadir.
It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Spain’s arms industry has produced some top-notch weapons over the years. For example, the 9-mm Star 30M was one of the more underrated “Wonder Nine” pistols of the Cold War era.
Moving on to far bigger and more powerful weapons, Spain has produced some pretty decent submarines too.
We now say “Buenos días” to the newest of the bunch, the S-80 Plus-class, AKA the Isaac Peral-class submarines.
Isaac Peral Namesake
The Isaac Peral-class diesel electric subs are named after Isaac Peral y Caballero, a 19th-century Spanish engineer and naval officer who designed the submarine Peral, the first electric-powered undersea boat, in 1888.
S-80 Initial History
Designated as the successors to the Galerna (S70/Agosta)-class subs, the S-80s trace their roots back to the early 1990s, and the Spanish government initially ordered them into production in 2003. However, design flaws and a government budget crisis left the Peral project underwater for many years.
The lead ship of the class, the Isaac Peral, was laid down on December 13, 2007, but wasn’t launched until May 7, 2021 and was commissioned on November 30, 2023.
The next ship of the line, the Narciso Monturiol, was finally launched on October 3 of last year. Meanwhile, the Cosme García and Mateo García de los Reyes had their keels laid in 2010 and 2011, with expected commissioning dates in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
The as-yet-unnamed S-85 and S-86 exist only on paper right now, with no contract signing or keel-laying date yet. Once commissioned, they will bring the total S-80 Plus-class fleet strength to six.
Harpoon Block II. Image Credit: Boeing.
All of these vessels are being built by the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena
Meanwhile, according to the World Directory of Modern Military Warships, the current submarine fleet of the Spanish Navy consists of a mere two Galerna-class boats, each of them more than 40 years old.
Isaac Peral Tech Specs and Vital Stats
Displacement: 2,965 t submerged / 2,695 t (surfaced)
Hull Length: 81.00 meters
Beam Width: 11.68 m
Draft: 6.3 m / diameter = 7.3 m
Max Speed: 19 knots, submerged, 12 knots, surfaced / 4 knots on air-independent propulsion (AIP)
Range: 5,000 NMI
Endurance: up to 50 days (AIP reactor autonomy = 28 days)
Test depth: 460 meters (1,510 ft)
Crew Complement: 32 commissioned officers and enlisted seamen (+ 8 special forces)
Armament: naval mines, plus 533-mm torpedo tubes for DM2A4 Sea Hake heavy torpedo and UGM-84 Harpoon missile; optional weapons include the Black Shark torpedo.
Starting with S-83, these subs will sport AIP, which considerably boosts the endurance of a diesel-electric boat (though it remains well short of a nuclear-powered submarine’s endurance).
Polish Navy submarine, Kilo-Class.
The Way Forward
In the words of former Narantia COO Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero,
“The S-80 programme is a direct contribution to defence, sovereignty, and the international projection of our industry. We are honoured to continue building capabilities that strengthen the security of Spain and our allies. It has industrial, strategic, commercial, and defence significance. Industrially, it drives the modernisation of processes and technologies; strategically, it provides a technological advantage, reinforcing national security and sovereignty; commercially, it opens export opportunities; and in terms of defence, it contributes to the protection of national interests.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
