The ''Riachuelo'' class are a Brazilian

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

of diesel-electric and

nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants, and merchant vessels. In the Soviet Navy, Soviet and Russian Navy, Russian navies ...

s developed by the state-owned shipyard

Itaguaí Construções Navais The Itaguaí Construções Navais S.A. known as ICN, is a Brazilian state-owned defence company specialized in naval-based platforms and naval nuclear engineering, founded on 21 August 2009. The company employs nearly 2,000 people. History ...

, based on the French as part of the Submarine Development Program.

History

In 2008, the Presidents of Brazil and France,

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

and

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

, signed a strategic partnership to the construction of four conventionally-powered submarines, and the support for the development of the first Brazilian nuclear submarine, in a program called PROSUB. The project was initiated in 2010 with the

Madeira Island Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago. It has an area of , including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole (northwest). As of 2021, Madeira had a total population o ...

base in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

as the submarine development and manufacturing point. Between 2010 and 2012, a group of 31 engineers, 25 officers and 6 civil employees, received theoretical training by the DCNS in

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

, France. In 2018, more than 400 Brazilian engineers worked only on the nuclear submarine project staff, originally formed by the group that received training in France. The first stage of construction of the conventionally-powered ''Riachuelo'' took place in France, with the cutting of the first steel plates of the structure. At this point, technology transfer from French technicians to Brazilians began. The conventional Brazilian boats are larger in length, tonnage and cargo capacity compared to the French Scorpène class they are derived from. The Brazilian version are and 1,900 tons, compared to the original Scorpènes that are and 1,565 tons.

Nuclear submarine

As part of the program, a fifth submarine, named ''Álvaro Alberto'', will be powered by nuclear propulsion. This unit has many similarities to its diesel powered predecessors of the ''Riachuelo'' class. The first Brazilian nuclear submarine will have a beam of to accommodate the pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR). Its length and 6,000-ton

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

will be propelled by a fully-electric propulsion system. The advantages of an SSN over a conventionally powered SSK are much longer endurance (a nuclear submarine can stay submerged for months and does not need refueling), and higher speed. Furthermore, nuclear propulsion does not cause

carbon dioxide emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate change. The ...

and once the vessel is completed no fuel imports are needed. Brazil – while not a major producer of

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

– has large resources of

thorium Thorium is a chemical element; it has symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is a weakly radioactive light silver metal which tarnishes olive grey when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately soft, malleable, and ha ...

which could in the future provide a domestic source of energy. The use of thorium in a pressurized water reactor – in fact one derived from a naval reactor – has been successfully demonstrated at the

Shippingport Atomic Power Station The Shippingport Atomic Power Station was (according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) the world's first full-scale atomic electric power plant devoted exclusively to peacetime uses.Though Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was connected to the ...

in the 1970s.

Boats

The names of the conventional boats were selected to represent key

Imperial Brazilian Navy The Imperial Brazilian Navy (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Armada Nacional'', commonly known as ''Armada Imperial'') was the navy created at the time of the independence of the Empire of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algar ...

's military operations during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

and the

Platine War The Platine War (, ; 18 August 1851 – 3 February 1852) was fought between the Argentine Confederation and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay, and the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos Province, Entre Ríos and Corrie ...

, and former Admiral Alfredo Karam. The nuclear boat honors the former Vice Admiral and scientist

Álvaro Alberto da Motta e Silva Álvaro Alberto da Motta e Silva (April 22, 1889 – January 31, 1976), was a Brazilian vice admiral and scientist, responsible for the implementation of the Brazil and weapons of mass destruction, Brazilian Nuclear Program in the 1940s and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riachuelo class submarine Attack submarines Scorpène-class submarines Submarine classes Proposed ships Ships built in Brazil

History

Nuclear submarine

Boats

See also

References