Spain's new-build frigates ahead of time - submarines are lagging behind

As much as the construction progress of the new F 110 frigate at the Navantia shipyard in Ferrol is ahead of schedule in Spain, the results of the submarine construction at the Cartagena shipyard (also Navantia) are behind the planned milestones. The first boat, S-81 ISAAC PERAL, has been sailing under the Spanish naval flag for several months, but was already six months behind schedule when it entered service and is currently in a new shipyard phase. However, the three following boats, S-82 to S-84, are already a good 12 months behind schedule with delivery dates of 2026 to 2029, citing the technical complexity of the nationally developed air-independent propulsion system and the loss of experience of the shipyard personnel after decades of no new submarines being built. This has led to an underwater capability gap around the Iberian Peninsula, where only the Agosta-class S 71 GALERNA, with a record-breaking 41 years of service, is still in operational condition. Nevertheless, Spain boasts the most modern conventional submarine in the world and is already offering it to third countries such as India, Canada and Poland in an export version. Claro que sí!