UK’s Fleet Solid Support ship programme deemed on track despite steel supply concerns
Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
New Spanish submarines to be fitted with Exail navigation system
The S-80A SSK design for the Spanish Navy is based on the Franco-Spanish S-80 Scorpene. (Image: Exail)
Spain’s S-80A or Isaac Peral-class SSKs are being built to replace the Spanish Navy’s existing Agosta 90B-class SSKs which were designed in the 1970s and built in the mid-1980s. The original S-80 programme has suffered considerable delays, with the first S-80s only entering service in late-2023.
Exail has been awarded a contract by Navantia to supply its Gecdis-W Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS) for the four Spanish Navy Isaac Peral-class S-80 Plus-class submarines.
The integration of Exail Gecdis-W system has been designed to enhance the submarines’ capabilities, supporting the crew with electronic navigational charts.
ECDIS software is IMO-certified and fully compliant with NATO’s STANAG standards. The Gecdis-W system will serve as a cooperative navigational asset for the Spanish Navy during sea-based military operations.
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Alexandre Maia, regional sales manager for Exail, said: “[The system] is aligned with the S-80 submarines’ core design objectives of stealth, endurance and operational flexibility in remote and potentially hostile areas.
“The WECDIS system is set to contribute to the operational effectiveness and safety in submarine navigation within challenging underwater environments.”
Exail has already been selected to equip all of the platforms of the French Navy, as well as platforms of the navies of Latvia, India, Greece, the UAE and New Zealand, with naval navigation systems.
Of the four boats only the first has been commissioned, Isaac Peral (S-81). The second, Narciso (S-82), will be expected to be commissioned later this year, with the following two scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
In February 2024, during a conference organised by El Confidencial, Admiral Ricardo Hernandez, head of Logistic Support of the Spanish Navy, stated that one of the main targets of the next decade was to procure two more S-80s despite budgetary hurdles.
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Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus) [Spain]
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