South American Submarine Projects

Hood

Hood

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Here are some interesting projects from the 1980s aimed at South American nations and some indigenious efforts.

Argentina

Thyssen TR-1400 Class: Two ordered alongside the four T-1700 Class submarines from West Germany with local production agreements. The two smaller TR-1400 were to be built in Germany. Basically smaller TR-1700 subs for coastal use, they shared common bow and stern components. Displacement was 1,450tons, length 58.1m, beam 7.3m and draught 6.5m, 21kts submerged, 13kts with snorknel, 15kts on surface, six 21in torpedo tubes with 22 SST4 torpedoes, diesel-electric with four 1,000kw engines.


Brazil

Brazil ordered four Type 209/1400 submarines and built three at the Arsenal yard. Rumoured in the late 1980s was that Brazil would build two more lengthened versions with udpdated equipment as the S-NAC-1.
The German IKL design firm with Brazil was working on a nuclear-powered submarine with a Brazilian designed reactor (where did that tech come from?). Called S-NAC-2 it may have been based on the S-NAC-1. It was to displace between 2,700-3,000 tons, speed 25-30kts submerged and armed with six torpedo tubes for 12 torpedoes (Tigerfish or SUT types?) Also rumoured was a development of the Dutch Walrus design as a more likely alternative.


Sources: Combat Fleets of the World 1980/81 and Ships of the World's Navies 1990
 
I thought we had a dedicated topic on the revived Brazilian SSN program but apparently not. EDIT: Found & crossposted to.

http://www.defencetalk.com/brazil-to-pursue-satellite-nuclear-submarine-projects-minister-68611/

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.”

[snip]
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A bit of background (from 2014) on the planned Álvaro Alberto [SN-BR 10] class SSN via DID:

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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