SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Spain’s state-owned shipbuilder, Navantia, is actively promoting its S-80 Plus submarine with the next-generation Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, known as BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology), for the Indian Navy’s Project-75I tender, which seeks to procure six advanced submarines. Navantia officials assert that the BEST AIP system offers substantial advantages over conventional AIP fuel-cell technologies, including those used by Germany’s TKMS, whose U-214NG submarine is also a contender in the same project.
Navantia’s BEST AIP system, which utilizes bio-ethanol fuel, provides a clean, efficient, and stealthy alternative to traditional AIP systems. According to Navantia, the BEST system offers superior endurance, allowing submarines to stay submerged for extended periods without surfacing for air. This endurance capability can be particularly advantageous for stealth missions, as it minimizes the submarine’s detectability.
The Spanish shipbuilder claims that the BEST AIP system enables the S-80 Plus submarine to operate at greater depths than fuel-cell-based systems can support. According to Navantia, this depth capability extends operational versatility and survivability, particularly in challenging underwater terrains.
The S-80 Plus submarine, with a reported test depth of 460 meters (1,510 feet), offers a competitive operational depth compared to other diesel-electric submarines. While it may not reach the extreme depths of Russia’s nuclear-powered Akula-class submarines (with a test depth of 480–520 meters, or 1,570–1,710 feet), Navantia points out that the S-80 Plus holds a significant advantage for non-nuclear, conventionally-powered submarines. By comparison, the Arihant-class, India’s indigenous nuclear submarine, has a test depth of 450 meters (1,480 feet). These specifications position the S-80 Plus within a viable range for missions requiring substantial underwater endurance and depth.
In contrast, TKMS’s U-214NG submarine, powered by a hydrogen-based fuel cell AIP system, offers robust stealth capabilities but reportedly lacks the depth and endurance features that Navantia emphasizes with its BEST technology. Navantia argues that bio-ethanol as a fuel source in the BEST AIP system is more sustainable and effective for high-endurance missions compared to traditional hydrogen-fuel-cell systems.
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