It had been discussed for a few weeks, but now the news is official: with a "letter of intent" (LOI) addressed in recent days to the French government and Naval Group shipyards, Argentina has put in writing its intention to reactivate its submarine component, which was effectively eliminated by the catastrophic loss of the SAN JUAN submarine in 2017.

With the negotiations initiated with Paris, the Armada has decided to focus on acquiring 3 SCORPENE-type submarines, in a variant similar to that adopted by the Brazilian Navy with the RIACHUELO class. Argentina and Brazil have long cooperated in the naval field, and for the new vessels, Brazil has created a production and maintenance hub that could also support potential Argentine "twin" submarines.

This is an important step for a Navy that has essentially been stagnant in terms of new acquisitions since the 1980s, with the (limited) exception of the GOWIND-type patrol vessels, also delivered by Naval Group between 2019 and 2022.

Moreover, as mentioned, the Armada has been without functioning submarines for years now, leading to an increasing impoverishment of a component that had been active since 1933 (when 3 vessels built by Italy's Tosi shipyard in Taranto entered service), and which half a century later had even participated in the 1982 Falklands War, accumulating significant operational experience.

The chronic economic crisis that has plagued Argentina since the late 1990s has gradually degraded the Armada, and the tragic loss of the SAN JUAN, recently modernized and sunk with its entire crew, led to the withdrawal from active service of its twin SANTA CRUZ within a few months, freezing its MLU, and of the older SALTA, built in 1971-1973. Officially, the 2 vessels are in reserve, but are only used for limited stationary training activities.

The ambitious and unrealistic projects aimed at completing 2 other SANTA CRUZ left unfinished since 1994 at the Domecq García shipyards in Buenos Aires, for which there was even talk of converting them into AIP or nuclear vessels, did not come to fruition; nor was there any progress in purchasing 2 or 3 Brazilian Type-209/1400 submarines, built in the 1980s-1990s and decommissioned in 2023.

In recent months, the Armada has decided to focus on newly constructed and state-of-the-art units, with an initial approach towards TKMS for the Type-209NG, which was ultimately passed over in favor of the French offer. Now it will be a matter of finding the right balance for the economic plan, given that each vessel costs about $700 million, and for the entire package including weapons and support, the Argentine government has budgeted about $2.3 billion for 2025, activating loans. On the industrial front, Argentina is also interested in obtaining part of the work for its own shipyards, perhaps for sections to be built locally.

Compared to the Brazilian variant, the Argentine vessels could be equipped with only 4 533 mm launch tubes, for 18 weapons including heavy torpedoes and anti-ship missiles; the timeline is tight, as the aim is to reach the contract by 2025, and complete the program in 7-8 years.

Follow us on Telegram, Facebook and X.