Spain's Long-Awaited New Sub Torpedoes a Target Ship in Live-Fire Test

The Spanish Navy's long-delayed attack sub S-81 sank a decommissioned patrol vessel with a single torpedo strike in a recent exercise, the service announced Wednesday.

Submarine Isaac Peral (S-81) joined in a live-fire sinking exercise on Wednesday at a site off the Canary Islands. The target was the former Infanta Elena, a decommissioned patrol vessel, which had been thoroughly cleaned to remove any pollutants. With other Spanish Navy assets providing overwatch, Peral launched a single DM2A4 heavyweight torpedo and hit the Elena's stern. The damage was enough to send the ship below, and the Elena went down stern-first.

Isaac Peral is the first S-80-class submarine delivered to the Spanish Navy. The contract was approved in 2003, and first-in-class delivery was initially expected in 2011. A combination of design problems, budget issues, and supply chain delays pushed back delivery repeatedly, and Isaac Peral ultimately entered commissioned service at the end of 2023.

The submarine is conventionally powered and equipped with air-independent propulsion for submerged silent running. The S-80's AIP system is novel in its reliance on ethanol fuel, which it runs through a processing unit to power a bank of hydrogen fuel cells. This avoids the need to store hydrogen gas on board, and allows the sub to stay submerged for up to three weeks.

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