RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A couple of days ago, the Brazilian Navy inaugurated a series of new facilities at the Ilha da Madeira Submarine Base (BSIM) to support future Riachuelo Class units.
The construction of new support facilities for the Riachuelo Class Submarines is part of the PROSUB Program. It should be recalled that last July, the Brazilian Navy’s Submarine Force Command completed its move to the Ilha da Madeira Submarine Base (BSIM).
The BSIM is part of the Itaguaí Naval Complex in Rio de Janeiro, where the construction and testing of the four Riachuelo Class submarines and the future nuclear-powered unit are being carried out.
The new support facilities comprise a space of approximately 3,100m², with specific sectors for each of the four conventional propulsion submarines. These include recreation and meeting rooms for personnel, changing rooms, and an infirmary.
The latter has an area of 460m² composed of offices of various specialties, such as physiotherapy and x-rays, emergency, medication, observation, pharmacy, and laboratory. Its objective is to provide initial emergency care in accidents and minor illnesses.
Specifically for submarine support tasks, there are workshops for Combat Systems, Program Management System (IPMS), and Masts. Here there are rooms to maintain electronic, optical, and mechanical equipment, cargo, and storage systems for the submarines.
In the future, it is planned to acquire test equipment to perform maintenance and certification of such equipment, especially those responsible for launching missiles, mines, and torpedoes.
The Brazilian Navy authorities have expressed that the new facilities will provide an added and strategic value to the PROSUB Program by providing the crews with the necessary tools for operating the Riachuelo Class submarines.
It is not a novelty, whose incorporation and upcoming entry into service represent a strategic asset for Brazil in the so-called Blue Amazon and the defense of its maritime interests.
RIACHUELO CLASS SUBMARINES
The S Riachuelo (S40) is a Brazilian Scorpène-class submarine built for the Brazilian Navy by DCNS in Cherbourg and ICN in Itaguaí, Brazil.
The Brazilian boats are larger in length, tonnage and cargo capacity compared to the original French project. The Brazilian version are 75 m (246 ft) and 2,000 tons, compared to the original Scorpènes that are 61.7 m (202 ft) and 1,565 tons.