Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine qualification section completed

The Brazilian state-owned company NUCLEP has recently completed and delivered the qualification section that will be used to later build the country's first nuclear-powered submarine, a model of which is shown here. (Victor Barreira)

Local state-owned company Nuclebrás Equipamentos Pesados (NUCLEP) officially completed the qualification section of the Brazilian Navy's first nuclear-powered attack submarine in early September, according to NUCLEP.

The Qualification Section replicates a section of the pressure-resistant hull of the future submarine S Almirante Álvaro Alberto (S50), NUCLEP said.

The section is built prior to the hull sections to verify that materials, welding, equipment, personnel, and processes meet the project's technical requirements, NUCLEP said.

While this structure will not become part of the submarine itself, its fabrication is essential for qualifying the processes to be used in the submarine's construction, NUCLEP said.

Construction of this section as part of Phase D of the Submarino Nuclear Convencionalmente Armado (SNCA) Conventionally Armed Nuclear Submarine project started in October 2024, according to the Navy's Directorate-General for Nuclear and Technological Development (DGDNTM).

The Brazilian Navy is currently carrying out the detailed ship project of the submarine, or Phase C, the General Coordinator of the DGDNTM, Vice Admiral Humberto Caldas da Silveira Junior, recently said.

The conceptual and basic projects of the SNCA were completed in 2013 and 2017, respectively, Vice Admiral Humberto said.

No date has been fixed for the launch of the construction by Itaguai Construções Navais (ICN) of the submarine. The submarine is scheduled to be commissioned for the Submarines Force Command in 2038, Fleet Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, commander of the Brazilian Navy, said in July.