Are Spanish S-80 submarines a good proposition for Poland?

The visit of several Polish editors to the Navantia shipyard company in Cartagena and the presentation of the S-80 Plus programme confirmed Spain's willingness to cooperate strategically with Poland under the Orka programme. During the meetings we gained access to detailed information about the offer, showing the full range of Spanish competences in the construction of submarines for the Polish Navy.

Spanish proposal in Orka program

The Spanish shipyard presented a complete industrial model – from design and construction, crew training and operational support to long-term maintenance of units. It is not only a finished product, but a coherent system of technological and industrial cooperation, which can be transferred to Polish soil.

The S-80 – with mature AIP drive, modern combat system and certification in the SUBSAFE standard – is a proposal that combines Technological sovereignty with real transfer of competences to Polish industry. It's a mature, ready project designed for partnership, not just the delivery of equipment.

After years of hesitation and discussion, the subject of submarines is finally gaining real momentum. Poland is increasingly looking to the depths, and decisions which until recently remained in the scope of announcements are now beginning to take a concrete shape.

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For some time now, an offer has been becoming clearer that brings to the discussion about the programme Eagle technical specificity and experience. The Spanish Navantia presented its newest S-80 submarine in Cartagena – a proven and ready for international cooperation.

Presentation of Navantii – Spanish precision, European scale

The first day of his visit to Carthage was much more than just a technical meeting. Several editorial offices from Poland had the honour to participate in the presentation of the industrial and competency capabilities of Navantii. The company's headquarters presented the organisational structure and key areas of operations of the shipyard – the competence centre of the Spanish Navy, where S-80 units are built.

^{Photo: Shipyard Portal}

We were accompanied by Esther Benito Lope, director of the marketing office of Navantii – a person with exceptional energy, able to combine technical concrete with human dimension. She took care of every detail of our stay for three days, bringing us into the world of the Spanish shipbuilding industry with feminine openness and cordiality.

During the first day of our visit, devoted to the main presentation of the S-80 Plus program, Germán Romero, S-80 programme manager, and José Luis, responsible for the sale of submarines in Cartagena, presented a detailed Spanish proposal – its technical assumptions, industrial potential and opportunities for cooperation with Poland. Their presentation was one of the key points of the visit – factual, substantive and based on the practical experience of people who have been co-creating the S-80 programme for years.

Meeting with Navantii's team was not a dry slide presentation, but a story about the sea, engineering and pride in the work of people who form individuals to guard the safety of their waters for decades to come.

Cartagena Shipyard – a pillar of the Spanish underwater industry

Carthage is not only a shipyard, but also a full engineering, production and research centre. It includes control and simulation systems integration plants (Navantia Sistemas), an engine factory serving 76 units of the Spanish fleet and air-independent propulsion testing laboratories (AIP).

As part of the industrial transformation programme, the complete digitisation and roboticisation of welding and assembly processes, SCADA system for monitoring energy consumption and technical media, as well as the BIM model of the entire production complex were implemented.

The CEFESOL team is responsible for training and certification of welders in the field of operation with thick pressure hulls. In turn, COEX Centres of Excellence are developing predictive maintenance technologies, using data analysis and simulations of operating processes – solutions that Navantia is prepared to pass on to the Polish side as part of future cooperation.

S-80 – design and design assumptions

Ship S-80 Plus is a national project of Spain, where Navantia serves as Design Authority – from design to life cycle. Each of the four series units (S-81 to S-84) represents a full-sized class of ocean conventional ships (SSKs) with a length of 81 meters, a submarine displacement of 2965 tons and a hull diameter of 7.3 metres. The crew has 32 sailors, with the possibility of accepting eight special forces soldiers. The high degree of automation of systems allows you to maintain a small personal composition without losing combat efficiency.

After the construction of the four ships of the S-80 series, the Spanish Ministry of Defence envisages the construction of another two ships of this series.

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Application AIP BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology) is a third generation air-independent system in which hydrogen is produced on board in the bioethanol reforming process. Installation of this system was planned from the unit S-83. The solution is intended to allow for many days of immersion – up to almost three weeks – which increases the secrecy of action and the ability to long-term patrols.

Intensified testing of the new AIP system for the ship is currently underway S-83. In the first phase, the device was in a test container on the wharf, while it was now mounted in section 3 – one of the five from which the hull of the unit is constructed.

Port tests (HAT) have been started, including a full battery charging process at the docked waterfront S-81. The results of the trials confirmed the system's theoretical compatibility. In the following stage, the AIP section was transported from the wharf to the hangar to carry out further tests under controlled conditions.

Finally, the AIP system will only be used for battery charging without the main power supply in critical situations. Completion of tests and integration of sections with other modules S-83 are planned for 2026.

Combat system, security and interoperability

The combat system developed by Navantia in cooperation with Lockheed Martin integrates acoustic and non-acoustic sensors, providing full situational awareness and tactical advantage in the marine environment. The system architecture is open – it enables integration with NATO-standard weapons, including heavy torpedoes, mines and land-attack-class maneuvering missiles (e.g. NSM-SL, with confirmed integration feasibility).

Security issues were subject to the rigors of the CTSUB program, developed jointly with the Spanish Navy, based on the standards of SUBSAFE (US Navy). The certification system includes full leak control, structural resistance and emergency procedures tests, including fly-by-wire processes and damage analysis in border situations.

^{Photo: Shipyard Portal}

Thanks to its full certification with systems used in NATO, the unit is adapted to perform tasks using rescue vehicles and rescue bells used in associated states' navy. In the event of an emergency, crew evacuation may be carried out in accordance with NATO operational procedures.

Training, simulation and life cycle support

Navantia offered Poland a comprehensive training-logistic model, including platform and tactical simulators (1:1 with combat control), virtual reality systems for crews and instructors and e-learning modules. Simulators shall be able to reproduce both normal operation procedures and emergency recovery of system performance under conditions of actual operational stress.

The model of operational support, developed with Armada Española, assumes the establishment of an ISS (In-Service Support) technical office in Poland, which would cooperate with local suppliers and industrial centres. This would give the Polish side full operational sovereignty and the ability to independently maintain the fleet in the long term.

Technology transfer and cooperation with Poland

Navantia presented a detailed plan for the transfer of technology and know-how, including training of engineers and technicians in Cartagena, joint integration projects with the PGZ, the use of Polish shipyards in service processes, and the development of competence in AIP systems and the integration of NATO equipment.

During the presentation the so-called "polonization" goal of the project was emphasized, i.e. the gradual integration of Polish entities into the maintenance, modernization and, if possible, production cycle. Navantia proposed a partner model in which Polish industry becomes an equal participant, not just a recipient of the product.

Spanish proposal – S-80 and new quality underwater

Navantia presented the offer not as a "buy ship", but as a vision of a long-term partnership. S-80 It's a full-sized unit that will not only cope in the Baltic but also in the waters away from our coasts. Equipped with a modern combat system, developed jointly with Lockheed Martin and a unique air-independent drive BEST AIP, which allows long stay in immersion without needing to emerge. It is thanks to this technology that Spanish ships can carry out activities secretly and effectively, even in difficult operating conditions.

Navantia is one of the few shipyards in Europe today, which itself has the role of Design Authority – that is, it is responsible for the design, construction, integration and full support in the life cycle of the ship. This approach guarantees not only quality but also control of every phase of the process. In Cartagena, where series units are created S-80 Plus, you can see not only production halls, but also entire competence ecosystems: from combat systems laboratories, through hull module assembly lines to crew simulators.

Taking into account the emerging emerging threats, Navantii's hybrid construction office plans to create a digital twin for the S-80 project, as is currently used in the construction and subsequent operation of F-110 frigates.

In Cartagena – in the heart of the Spanish ship industry

After the presentation, we could see the trial up close. At the invitation of Navantii we entered a huge assembly hall in Cartagena. From the entrance you could see a string of sections of the hull set along the axis of the hall – from the stern to the subsequent rings of the rigid hull. At four positions, small teams were working in parallel, counting from several to several people.

Looking at the pace and focus at work, one could get the impression that each of the teams knows exactly what they're going to do – to create another S-80 ship. The passion and commitment with which the project managers talked about their tasks showed that for many of them it was not only work, but the most important professional priority.

On the right side, further parts of the hull of the future ship are set. S-83, on the left two sections were in progress S-84. In the central part of the hall, right at its entrance, a body prepared for baptism was waiting S-82, whose celebration is scheduled for the next day.

There was a proper order of military production: clearly designated communication lines, gear stations under girders, overhead cranes and quality control at each stage of ring welding and section coupling. The rhythm of work remained equal, without haste, but with full concentration. The division into zones – processing and welding of rings, matching of frames, further preparing for integration of ship installations was clearly marked.

It is here that a new generation of submarines is born – from steel sheets, from the precision of measurements and from the discipline of the teams, which gradually fold the hull into a coherent, living structure.

But what impressed us most was when we had the privilege of attending the ship’s baptism ceremony. S-82 – a symbolic and emotional event, even for those who write about technology every day.

Baptism S-82 – a tradition that has its weight

The ceremony took place in an atmosphere of focus and pride. S-82 Narciso Monturiol She presented the red-yellow-red flag of the Spanish Navy, and among the invited guests were representatives of the navy, shipbuilding industry and media.

The culminating moment of the ceremony was the traditional break-up of the bottle of red wine Monte Real – Edición Especial Navantia 2022 on the hull of the ship, a symbolic gesture that in the Spanish shipbuilding tradition replaces champagne. The impact on steel, the splash of wine and the applause of the gathered guests created a moment when the technique met with emotion. It was a simple but meaningful moment – a submarine Narciso Monturiol received an official name.

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For journalists and experts who observe the purchasing and modernisation processes on a daily basis, it was a reminder that behind each specification, behind each "AIP", "IPMS" or "Combat Management System" there are people, emotions and years of work. Esther, with a smile, told me that every new unit is like the birth of a child – different, unique, with its own character.

Something that will not be seen in Poland

It was a moment we'd remember for a long time. Even before the baptism ceremony we had the opportunity to see with our own eyes how the first unit of the series came out of Cartagena War Port – S-81 Isaac Peral. Quiet, elegant, almost masterly eluded by looks, he majestically left the warport area to go to further exercises or his missions. Such scenes are difficult to see in Poland – the operational movement of the Spanish navy and the availability of these moments for guests from abroad is something special.

After the baptism S-82 All media at the ceremony were invited to dinner, just a few hundred metres from the place where we could see leaving the port of war this morning S-81. Talks about technology were mixed with the noise of Spanish media, which – like us, Poles – absorbed every detail of that day.

And that's when something happened that added a little magic to this meeting. In the distance we saw a familiar figure coming back to the port S-70 Galerna. It was Mariusz who noticed it first, and out of emotion he cried out so loud that everyone picked up from the tables. At one moment, camera, phone and camera lenses turned toward the port entrance – everyone wanted to capture this unusual moment. For a few minutes, it's like he stopped. Against the background of blue water, he entered the port of the ship, which for decades was a symbol of the Spanish submarine fleet.

Polish Orka – Spanish experience

Spanish offer under the scheme Eagle It's more than a proposal to buy a ship. It is a project of industrial cooperation, technology transfer and the construction of competences in Poland, which can strengthen our defence industry permanently. Navantia announced her readiness to cooperate with the PGZ and with local partners, including the Gdynia and Szczecin shipyards, with the service and crew training.

Ship S-80 This is a mature proposal, based on a national programme in which Spain was fully responsible for the project. The used BEST AIP drive uses bioethanol, generating hydrogen on board, eliminating the need to store it in bottles. It is a safe, modern and environmentally friendly solution – and above all ensuring a long stay in immersion, which is strategic in the Baltic.

Towards Decision and the Future

The offer presented is not only a proposal to purchase a submarine, but also a maritime and industrial security system that Poland could develop for decades to come. The S-80 is now one of the most advanced conventional units in NATO with an air-independent drive that has undergone all tests and is ready for installation on the S-83. Navantia, which has the status of Design Authority, offers Poland full technological transparency, training support and a cooperation model based on long-term partnership – industrial and strategic.

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The visit of the Polish delegation of journalists to Navantia, the presentation and later visit to Cartagena left the impression that it was not just a meeting of the producer with a potential client. It was an exchange of experiences, a look at the future and an attempt to find a common language between two marine cultures – Polish and Spanish.

Regardless of the final choice, one thing is certain – Spain has shown Poland an offer based on experience, conclusions from the S-80 programme, technological autonomy and partnership approach to cooperation at sea. Do you The whale will emerge from the Spanish depths – depends only on the decision in Warsaw.

Poland needs new submarines – combat vessels, ready to operate, not replacement units. The Spanish Navantia has a proposal in its portfolio that can really strengthen the potential of the Polish Navy here and now. In the face of the war in Ukraine and Russia's aggressive policy, the decision to purchase is not only a question of modernisation, but an element of national security and alliance credibility.

Will the Spanish Orka surface at the Gdynia Warport? We will know the answer soon – and it will be a test not only for the Navy, but for the security of the whole country.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz/Adam Woźnicki