The official qualification tests of the first version of the Integrated Combat System Core (ICSC), intended to be installed on board the S-80 submarine were carried out in the LBTS of the S-80 Program. This version, called VC 9.0 SCA, is the culmination of core development and advanced integration work in the LBTS. It installed aboard the S-80 submarine beginning August 31, after which combat system testing will begin. The ICSC provides the set of weapons and sensors of the Combat System with a high level of integration for the optimal management of operational information and of the command and control center, allowing to acquire, evaluate and present all the necessary information for the offensive, defensive or intelligence actions to be developed at each moment.
The qualification tests have been designed with a double objective: on one hand, to guarantee the functionality and availability of the ICSC in a situation of high operational load by supporting the management of the maximum number of contacts and reference points established by requirements and, on the other hand, to demonstrate the integrated operation of the different capabilities in scenarios that simulate the real operating conditions for which the ICSC has been designed. In addition, during last July, the boarding works of the submarine’s Attack Periscope were carried out, and the corresponding consoles were installed, tested and prepared in the Command and Control Room of the S-81 ‘Isaac Peral’.
The S-80 Plus class (or Isaac Peral class) is a Spanish class of four submarines in production by the Spanish company Navantia in its Cartagena shipyard for the Spanish Navy. In common with other contemporary submarines, they feature air-independent propulsion. They are oceanic submarines of medium tonnage with the capacity to carry out long duration missions in scenarios far from their base, acting with a minimum level of indiscretion. They will have an integrated platform control system that allows operation with a reduced endowment and a high degree of automation with remote control. The characteristics of this class of ships place them at a level close to those of nuclear propulsion.
The lead boat in the class, the Isaac Peral (S-81), the first unit in the series, was launched by King Felipe VI and his daughter, Princess Leonor, heir to the throne, on April 22, 2021 at the Cartagena shipyards, and was planned to enter service in 2023, and the rest by 2025, 2027 and 2029 respectively. The S-80 class has also been offered for export. S-80 Plus-class submarines are designed to improve threat scenario missions. Their operational mobility will allow them to operate in remote areas, traveling discreetly at high speeds. Their air independent propulsion (AIP) system, of new technological design, will ensure their ability to remain in an area for a very long period of time without being detected and their ability to operate in possible conflict zones.
