As Argentina Shops for Submarines, its Defense Minister Visits Scorpene Sub Being Built in Brazil

Argentine defense minister Jorge Taiana toured "Itaguaí Construcciones Navales (ICN)" shipyard in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, as it eyes submarines for the Navy.

Together with the head of the Argentine Navy Admiral Julio Guardia and authorities from Argentine shipyard TANDANOR, Taiana learnt about the construction process of the "Scorpene" submarine, one of the models that Argentina is considering to recover its submarine capacity.

"We continue to search for the best supply of submarines so that our country recovers that strategic capacity that it does not have today and that is essential to have a true control and surveillance of our waters under national jurisdiction, our continental platform and our natural resources,” the minister said.

In July 2022, Taiana visited the shipyards of Naval Group and Thyssenkrupp, to evaluate and learn about the production processes, financing conditions, and technology transfer with Argentine participation through the Tandanor shipyard.

Since 2010, Itaguaí shipyard's personnel have received theoretical and technological training in France and that same year construction began on the first of the four Brazilian Scorpene-class submarines. In 2012, the parts for the construction of the ships were transferred from France and integrated with those built by the ICN. By 2013, the development and manufacturing of the parts began to be carried out entirely in Brazil, giving way to the construction of the second submarine.

Meanwhile, in 2017 and 2018 they began the construction of the Tonelero and Angostura submarines and in 2020, the ICN and the Brazilian Navy inaugurated the Madeira Island Submarine Base with the aim of continuing the construction of “Scorpenes” submarines. as well as the construction of the nuclear submarine fleet starting with the Álvaro Alberto submarine ship, which by 2029 will be the first nuclear-powered attack submarine in Brazil.