May 2014

CONSTRUCTION NAVALE

  • Underwater alliance

 

scorpene
 

With the France-Brazil connection at the heart of this issue of COTE Magazine, the time is ripe to find out about the combat system being built in our region for Brazil’s future submarines.

 

This Spring, the naval defence and energy company DCNS (formerly Direction des Constructions Navales) unveils an integration platform for the combat systems that will equip Brazil’s future Scorpène class submarines. Its purpose is on-land testing of the data processing systems that will enable a crew to analyse their submarine’s surroundings from a compilation of data from different sensors, and activate its weapons. It is a project of major importance, and is housed in a facility belonging to the defence ministry’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) in Saint-Mandrier.


Two years of tests
For two years, teams from the French company and the Brazilian navy will be working hand in hand in Saint-Mandrier in a technical configuration similar to the one found on board the submarine. After the trials, the equipment that makes up the combat system will be sent to Brazil and installed aboard the first of the four Scor­pène subs that Brazil ordered in 2009. The aim of the process is both to improve the Brazilian navy’s expertise in these cutting-edge fields and to improve shipbuilding efficiency for faster delivery. The new Scorpène submarines, designed for all types of mission (combating surface vessels or submarines, or special operations), are 76m long, displace over 2000 tonnes when submerged and can accommodate a crew of 45 men. Their large size means that they can carry more fuel and food supplies, so gaining autonomy – an essential asset for working in the vast expanse of Brazil’s territorial waters. While the ”S-BR 1“ should start sea trials in 2016, with delivery scheduled for mid-2017, if all goes well the next three should be delivered at 18-month intervals: early 2019, mid-2020 and early 2022.