Brazilian submarine Almirante Karam

History
Brazil
Name	Almirante Karam
Namesake	Admiral Alfredo Karam
Ordered	23 December 2008[1][2]
Builder	ICN, Madeira Island, Itaguaí
Homeport	Madeira Island
Identification	Pennant number: S43
Status	Under construction[3]
General characteristics
Class and type	Riachuelo-class submarine
Displacement	1,900 t (1,900 long tons)
Length	70.62 m (231 ft 8 in)
Beam	6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Draft	5.8 m (19 ft 0 in)
Propulsion	4 × MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesels 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) each 1 × Jeumont-Schneider EPM Magtronic electric 3,909 hp (2,915 kW) 1 × Shaft Exide Hagen batteries
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Test depth	400 m (1,300 ft)
Complement	32
Sensors and processing systems	Naval Group SUBTICS combat management system Thales TSM 2233 Eledone hull and flank array passive sonar Thales Safare/S-Cube hull active sonar Safran Series 20 target identification and classification system
Electronic warfare & decoys	Thales DR 3000/ITT AR 900 electronic support measures Naval Group Contralto-S decoy launchers CANTO anti-torpedo countermeasures
Armament	6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes: 8 × SM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles 18 × F21 heavy-weight torpedoes 30 × naval mines
Notes	Sources:[4][5][6][7][8]

Almirante Karam (S43)[9] —previously known as Angostura— is the fourth unit of the Riachuelo-class submarines built for the Brazilian Navy by ICN in Itaguaí, and DCNS, a modified design of the original French Scorpène class

The Brazilian boats are larger in length, tonnage and cargo capacity compared to the original French project. The Brazilian version are 70.62 m (231 ft 8 in) and 1,900 tons, compared to the original Scorpènes that are 61.7 m (202 ft 5 in) and 1,565 tons.[10]

Program history

In 2008, Brazil purchased four enlarged Scorpènes for USD 10 billion with a total technology transfer agreement and a second agreement to develop the first Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine, Álvaro Alberto. The hull of Riachuelo was laid down at Cherbourg, France on 27 May 2010 and it was jumboized at the Brazilian Navy Shipyard in Itaguaí in late 2012.[2]

The first submarine Riachuelo was launched on 14 December 2018,[11] the Humaitá was launched on 11 December 2020, and the Tonelero on 27 March 2024.[12]

Namesake

Almirante Karam was named after the former Admiral Alfredo Karam.[9]

References

1. "DECRETO Nº 8.630, DE 30 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2015". Brazil Gov. 30 December 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
2. Nicolas von Kospot (2 June 2010). "First Steel Cut for Brazilian Submarine Programme". www.defpro.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
3. "Brasil negocia com França acordo para combustível nuclear de submarino, diz Itamaraty". Folha de S.Paulo. 22 March 2024.
4. "PROSUB: NUCLEP e ICN avançam na construção do Submarino Nuclear Brasileiro" (in Portuguese). Poder Naval. 2 August 2019.
5. "Submarino Nuclear Brasileiro" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 August 2019.
6. Luiz Padilha (5 December 2012). "SBr – Submarino 'Riachuelo' (S-40)". Defesa Aérea & Naval. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
7. "Programa Nuclear da Marinha" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
8. Joao Paulo Zeitoun Moralez (2 September 2021). "La Marina de Brasil incorpora el primer submarino de la Clase Riachuelo". Pucara Defensa.
9. "Marinha renomeia de 'Almirante Karam' quarto submarino da Classe Riachuelo". Defesa Aérea e Naval (in Portuguese). 11 October 2024.
10. "Diferenças entre o submarino Scorpène e o S-BR brasileiro". Poder Naval (in Portuguese). 7 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
11. "Submarino Riachuelo inicia provas de mar" (in Portuguese). Poder Naval. 25 September 2019.
12. "Tonelero: saiba como é o submarino lançado por Lula e Macron no RJ". G1. 27 March 2024.