If it is said that the countries with light aircraft carriers in the world can be counted by two hands, the countries with nuclear submarines have only one hand for a long time. After India becomes the sixth country in the world to have its own nuclear submarine, who will become the seventh? The trend is now more obvious, and Brazil is promising because they have a good helper.
According to a report on the "Navy News" website, on November 26, local time, at the Itaguaí Naval Base, the construction base for conventional submarines and future nuclear submarines in Brazil, the Director of International Development of the French General Armament Agency (DGA) and Brazil jointly formed The Brazilian-French Submarine Joint Committee (CCCBF) held a meeting in which Brazil approved the basic design of Brazil’s future domestic nuclear submarine SNBR.
Picture: Riachuelo conventional submarine
SNBR, as a domestic nuclear submarine project in Brazil, has a strong French element. It itself is based on the scorpionfish-class conventional diesel-electric submarine developed by France, and is equipped with a product with a nuclear reactor compartment. Now, Brazil is building 4 scorpionfish-class conventional diesel-electric submarines for the country at the Itaguaí naval base. Step by step, France provides key support, which is quite pragmatic.
Picture: The scorpionfish class is equipped with a nuclear reactor compartment
The legal scorpionfish class conventional diesel-electric submarine obtained in Brazil is called the Riachuelo class. The first boat S40 was started at the shipyard in Cherbourg, France in 2010, but then it was built in Itaguaí, Brazil. The naval base (actually a shipyard) completed the final assembly and was officially launched on December 14, 2018. At the end of November this year, the submarine completed its first buoyancy test in the Atlantic offshore near Rio.
Picture: The Riachuelo
at launch. In 2009, Brazil purchased 4 scorpionfish-class conventional diesel-electric submarines from the French Naval Group at a price of US$9.9 billion. These submarines have a surface displacement of about 1870 tons and can perform the right Sea and anti-submarine combat missions, with 6 533mm torpedo tubes, which can launch legal F21 heavy torpedoes and MBDA "Flying Fish" SM39 Mod2 version of submarine-launched anti-ship missiles, but Brazil’s Scorpionfish class is the same as India’s P75. The AIP does not rely on the air propulsion system. I don’t know if it is because the French closed-cycle steam turbine (MEMSA) AIP system is not reliable. The 4 Brazilian Scorpionfish-class No. 2 boat Humaitá (S41) is expected to be in the middle of this month. Launched, the remaining 2 ships are under construction.
Picture: The Humaitá section
in transit. The four diesel-electric submarines without AIP cost nearly ten billion U.S. dollars. Why is it that my country has sold three S26T (039A export-type) AIP submarines to Thailand (1 billion U.S. dollars) Is it 10 times more expensive? The reason is that the money was used to pave the way for the nuclear-powered submarine code-named "Alvaro Alberto (SN-10)". With the addition of a nuclear reactor compartment, this nuclear submarine may become a French "ruby". "The same pocket attack nuclear submarine.
Picture: Brazil previously had 5 German-made Type 209 submarines and 4 local-built
. But now, this plan has just passed the basic design plan approval, and it is not yet known when construction and construction will start.
If it goes well, Brazil is expected to become the seventh country in the world to build nuclear submarines in its own country after the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and India. However, even with the "Advanced Technology Vessel" (ATV) "enemy destroyer" class nuclear submarine built by India itself ( (About 6,000 tons), Brazil’s future nuclear submarine is also the most compact in the future. Now the "Enemy Annihilator" has two launched, but as a ballistic missile nuclear submarine carrying K-15 "Ocean" submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the "annihilator" The "zhe" class has not yet formed the ability to prepare for combat cruise. Picture of
: The "Enemy Fighter" is actually a ballistic missile nuclear submarine
. France and Brazil have good relations. The two countries also announced the formation of a "strategic alliance" in 2008. France supports Brazil as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and hopes to expand the Brazilian market in nuclear energy and weapons.
But between 1961 and 1963, the two countries almost fought over maritime rights! At that time, French fishing boats frequently caught lobsters with high commercial value offshore Brazil.The two countries dispatched naval warships to confront each other. France sent destroyers to the offshore waters of Brazil to support its fishing boats. The Brazilian navy, which inherited a number of US-made WWII light cruisers and destroyers, also refused to give in. The history of this volatile war for fishery resources is called " "Lobster War", Brazil finally approved a small number of French fishing boats to have certain fishing rights, and unilaterally announced that the territorial waters would be expanded to 200 nautical miles before subsiding. This matter was also the "United Nations Convention on the Ocean" adopted in 1982 on the exclusive marine economic zone ( The delineation of the EEZ) concept provides a basis.
Picture: In the "Lobster War", Brazil B17 singled out the French destroyer
. As a country with no external threats, whether Brazil can become the seventh country with nuclear submarine construction capability is not a definite number. The other has not been officially promoted. But the country that has the ability, willingness, and funds to develop its own nuclear submarine project is South Korea. The shipbuilding industry is much stronger than Brazil. They have also repeatedly vented to build nuclear submarines. Who will become the 7th member of the nuclear submarine club is to be seen in the future.
