By Nicolás García
The commander in chief of the Chilean Navy, Admiral Juan Andrés De La Maza, expressed his intention to initiate during his tenure a replacement program for the 209/1400L SS-20 Thomson and SS-21 Simpson class submarines that will turn 40 years old in 2024.
Admiral De La Maza announced this news in an interview published in the Santiago newspaper El Mercurio, in which he referred to the current situation of the institution that he has been leading since June 2021 and whose term of command will end in June 2025.
Asked about the projects being carried out by the Chilean Navy, the authority highlighted the construction in Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada (Asmar) of the icebreaker Almirante Viel, a ship that was launched in December 2022 and whose delivery date is planned for August 2024.
Regarding the construction program of the Chilean Navy‘s amphibious transports, De La Maza said:
“In June, we will put the first block of the Escotillón project – to build the new multipurpose ships – to renew our units, which are the ones that connect our country with isolated areas”.
CAPACITY MAINTENANCE
Regarding the replacement of the 209/1400L, the admiral pointed out that “it will have to be discussed in Parliament and the Ministry, but I want to leave a development plan for the submarines, which are the most expensive part of the Navy, on track.
The idea is to leave that renovation to my successor and, why not, perhaps another for constructing combat units”.
Regarding the feasibility of undertaking this program, De La Maza said:
“One has to understand the country’s reality; one cannot be selfish. Sometimes you have to give in. Post-pandemic, post-crisis, and because of the social reforms that must be made, the State has been allocating resources to other things.”
“But it has also understood, and I welcome this, that the Armed Forces give tranquility and stability to the country”.
Regarding the financing plan to execute this kind of program, he said:
“If you ask me, of course, I would like to be given more resources; I would love to.”
“But I understand that there are other priorities. And at least in the Navy, we have been respecting and maintaining what we need to carry forward.”
209/1400L CLASS SUBMARINES
The 209/1400L class submarines were built at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, Germany, and commissioned by the Navy in 1984.
They are 59.5 meters long, 6.2 meters wide, and have a surface draft of 5.5 meters.
They have a displacement of 1,390 tons and a maximum submerged speed of 21.5 knots.
These units have eight 533 mm heavy torpedo launch tubes and can deploy up to 14 Leonardo Black Shark torpedoes, Atlas Elektronic SUT Mod 1, or MBDA SM-39 Exocet missiles.
The two submarines have received several modernization programs in their three decades of service that have included hull trimming and systems upgrades, including modification of the torpedo tubes to fire the Exocet SM-39 anti-ship missile and integration of a new tactical combat system based on Naval Group’s Subtics.
The national industry has also contributed its know-how in upgrading the capabilities of these platforms.
Sisdef implemented a digital steering and propulsion control console and the PDM-SP09 diesel monitor panel for engine and generator control.
At the same time, Desa developed a digital plotting table that allows navigation with digital charts that replace traditional paper nautical charts.
It is important to highlight the participation of the 209/1400L class submarines in the US Navy’s DESI (Diesel Electric Submarine Initiative) cooperation program.
DESI was created in 2001 to improve the capabilities and fighting techniques of US naval and air units against conventionally powered submarines through different tactics and state-of-the-art technology.
With information from Infodefensa
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