The Royal Household has announced that King Felipe VI will visit the Cartagena Military Arsenal today, Monday, May 19, to learn more about the S-81 Isaac Peral submarine, the first in Navantia’s S-80 Plus series built for the Spanish Navy. During the tour, which begins at 9:30 a.m., the monarch will board the submarine and learn firsthand about the procedures that remain before it is fully operational, as it has been since its official delivery to the Navy in November 2023.
The presence of the head of state demonstrates institutional support for the S-80 program, one of the country’s most ambitious strategic defence initiatives and a symbol of technological sovereignty. Navantia is making progress on the building of the last three S-80 submarines, which will bolster the fleet in the next years.
The S-81 Isaac Peral submarine is conducting final tests as part of the rigorous evaluation procedure prior to high availability. Its deployment to the Canary Islands in late May and early June is especially notable.
The Navy is already working out the practicalities of a one-week mission that will begin completely submerged. For the first time, the S-81 will traverse the Strait of Gibraltar, the most difficult part of the journey, and make its premiere in the Atlantic Ocean.
Once in the Canary Islands, the submarine will participate for the first time in Armed Forces Day (Difas), specifically in the now-traditional naval review presided over by King Felipe VI, an event that, along with the land parade, marks the culmination of recent years’ activities.
The S-81 Isaac Peral will then participate in an exercise in June with Navy ships, including the first launch of a live DM2A4 homing torpedo against a surface target.
According to the planned schedule, the S-81 Isaac Peral will pass operational qualification, a test that every Navy ship must pass to determine the level of crew training and the operational performance of onboard equipment and systems. Following this milestone, the submarine will officially enter high availability.
Following the Isaac Peral, the last three submarines in the series will arrive. The Navy maintains the delivery schedule. The S-82 Narciso Monturiol is scheduled to arrive in September 2026, the S-83 Cosme GarcÃa in December 2028, and the S-84 Mateo GarcÃa de los Reyes in January 2030.
The S-81, which is equipped with nationally designed anaerobic propulsion systems (AIP), stands out for its discretion, autonomy, and versatility, making it a valuable asset to the Navy’s intelligence, surveillance, and special operations missions.
Felipe VI’s visit follows one he made in April 2021 with the rest of the Royal Family, when the submarine was launched, funded by the Princess of Asturias. The event took place in the Cartagena shipyard.
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