Article Posted on : - Jul 19, 2011

PARIS (BNS): Brazil has begun building the first S-BR Scorpene class submarine designed by Europe’s leading shipbuilder DCNS.

A ceremony was held to mark the start of construction work which was attended by Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian Ministry of Defence, Nelson Jobim, the French Ministry of Defence, Gerard Longuet and the Chairman and CEO of DCNS President Patrick Boissier.

A statement issued by DCNS said, all aspects of the programme are supervised by the Brazilian Navy, under a wide-ranging technology transfer agreement.

The programme covers the design and construction of four Scorpene conventional-propulsion submarine submarines, design and construction assistance with the non-nuclear portion of Brazil’s first nuclear-powered submarine and support for the construction of a naval base and a naval shipyard.

The first of the four Scorpene-class conventional-propulsion submarines is scheduled to enter active service in 2017. These four submarines feature conventional diesel-electric propulsion. Their length overall is approximately 75 metres, with a surface displacement of close to 2,000 tonnes. They will be operated by a crew of 30 to 45.

According to DCNS, the four Scorpene conventional-propulsion submarines meet the particular specifications of the Brazilian Navy and are perfectly tailored to the protection and defence of Brazil’s 8,500-kilometre coastline.

They are highly versatile ocean patrol submarines, designed for all types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, special operations and intelligence gathering, it said.