On October 4, 2023, the steel of the future Brazilian nuclear submarine Álvaro Alberto was cut for the first time in a ceremony hosted by the Brazilian Navy and Brazilian state-owned company Itaguaí Construcoses Navais (ICN).
Currently, the contractual agreements are for the construction of only one submarine of this class. However, some reports suggest that three will most likely be built, with probably an initial set of three, for a final total of six.
Brazil’s nuclear submarine program is expected to have a total start-up of $7. 4 billion, which includes technology, infrastructure, logistics and the structure of the first ship.
The unit of Brazil’s current and upcoming SSN has been estimated at around $1. 2 billion, but is expected to be much higher.
Brazil’s social security program has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is still significant work to be done on the structures of nuclear submarines, significant delays are likely. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that COVID has also severely affected France, with the French In addition, according to some reports, French design bureaus are already overloaded by paints made as part of the French Navy’s Barracuda program and the contract for Australian Attack-class submarines. (Australia has since canceled the contract with France to expand nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom, now known as AUKUS. )
This is all part of the chaos surrounding the pandemic years of 2020-2022, but Brazil’s nuclear submarine program is set to suffer an even harder blow. Word began to spread that primary overhaul work will be carried out on the reactors earmarked for the program. These reports warned that the mandatory adjustments were significant enough to require recertification of the reactors. This procedure alone can take up to five years.
Regardless of the exact combination of events, the delivery of Brazil’s first SSN has been delayed, with a more realistic timeline for the submarine to go into action around 2034.
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