The Brazilian Navy announced that the submarine Timbira would be decommissioned after 27 years of active service and put up for sale.
The Tupi-class diesel-electric vessel was built at the Rio de Janeiro Navy Arsenal (AMRJ) based on the German IKL-209/1400-class.
Brazil’s four IKL-209/1400 class submarines are named after indigenous tribes: Tupi, Timbira, Tamoio, and Tapajos.
The Timbira (S 32) was the third ship and the second submarine to bear this name in the Brazilian Navy, in honor of the warrior Timbira of the indigenous Maranhão nation.
It was placed in the harrow on September 15, 1987, and launched on January 5, 1996, with First Lady Ruth Leite Correa Cardoso as godmother.
On December 16, 1996, she underwent the armament test and was accepted for service with the Fleet Submarine Force.
The Tikuna, the newest German-designed submarine, is expected to remain in service for a few more years.
It is a modified IKL-209/1400-class version, having been inducted into the Submarine Force in 2006, so it has not yet completed 20 years of service.
This unique submarine incorporated several technological innovations, which resulted in less noise and longer submerged operation time, particularly during battery recharging operations with the help of the snorkel.
THE END OF THE “GERMAN ERA” IN THE SUBMARINE FORCE
The retirement of the IKL-209 from active service was determined in 2019 to direct financial and personnel resources to the four new Riachuelo-class diesel-electric submarines (Scorpenne BR), one of which has already been delivered to the Submarine Force.
The second is undergoing hat/sat trials (harbor acceptance trials/sea acceptance trials) and should enter service in 2023.
The delivery cycle should be completed in 2026.
To build the modern Scorpenne BR submarines in Itaguaí, the Brazilian Navy and French conglomerate Naval Group built the Itaguaí Shipyard and Naval Base (EBN), where Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN) operates.
In addition to having unique machinery, such as the largest hydraulic press in Latin America, with a capacity of 80,000 kN of pressing force and cold forming of five-inch thick steel plates, ICN is also in a position to build other types of ships and vessels for military naval use, something that goes far beyond the agreement signed with the HDW Consortium (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH) in the 1970s.
INTERESTED COUNTRIES
When the four Tupi-class were declared in reserve, some countries were identified as interested in acquiring them.
In South America, Peru, and Argentina, traditional operators of German IKL submarines went so far as to send convoys of military and technicians to evaluate the submarines and other systems, an understanding that the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted.
The Argentines can even be considered favorites, as the Argentine Navy lost this capability with the ARA San Juan accident in 2017 and currently has no submarines in operation.
The ARA Santa Cruz (S-41) has been berthed with work stalled for some years, and the ARA Salta (S-31) is also unnavigable.
On the other hand, Peru has recently modernized its IKL of older types, and the current political situation in the Andean country acquires this type of material unlikely for the moment.
European or Asian countries could show interest in these submarines, such as Poland (listed as interested before the pandemic) or South Korea (rebuild/resale).
With information from Infodefensa