Fincantieri Unveils S800 Coastal And Shallow Water Submarine

[Zarvan]

The S800 design features an X-rudder configuration

Fincantieri Unveils S800 Coastal And Shallow Water Submarine​

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, led by CEO, Pierroberto Folgiero, unveiled the "S800", an 800-ton submarine optimized for coastal and shallow waters, at IDEX 2023, the defense exhibition held earlier this week in Abu Dhabi.​

Tayfun Ozberk 24 Feb 2023
S800 story by Tayfun Ozberk and Xavier Vavasseur

The 800-ton submarine, or S800, was on display for the first time at IDEX 2023. According to company officials, they decided to design this submarine after considering potential customers’ needs. Given its size and tonnage, the S800 appears to be a valuable asset in littoral environments.

The S800 has a length of 51 meters, and an operational depth of 250 meters. The displacement of the submarine is 750 tonnes surfaced (850 when submerged). Though the battery type is not defined yet (but will likely be Li-Ion), the S800 features air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. The projected speed of the submarine will exceed 15 knots. It features an X-rudder configuration which is typically an indication that operation in shallow littoral waters was taken into account from the design stage: X-rudders are said to improve low speed maneuverability.

Though not mentioned on the 1:100 scaled mockup, Naval News learned that the 800-ton submarine is projected to have an operational range of around 4,000 nautical miles. The small submarine will be operated by a crew of less than 20 personnel. The submarine will be armed with heavy torpedoes.

S800 submarine scale model on Fincantieri booth at IDEX 2023

“Thanks to the current technology and our experience, we are capable to design and build S800 submarine with a good level of operational capability, and capable to reduce the lifetime cost. This submarine has potantial to be more succesful than the larger ones at the coastal waters.”

Fincantieri official

According to the official, Fincantieri has already identified key industrial partners for the project, most of them based in Italy. The new submarine will benefit not only from the U212 NFS (Near Future Submarine) project, but also from the company’s overall experience.

While Fincantieri’s submarine shipyard in Mugiano is currently working on the NFS project, the shipbuilder was adamant that they have enough capacity to start building S800s in parallel. “However, we are open to collaborations,” said the official.

The S800 is likely to face competition from an ongoing “small submarine” program: Turkey’s STM500 design, which is slightly smaller. Such platforms optimized for shallow and coastal water operations would help boost the naval defence capabilities of Gulf region navies by giving them the means to deter potential enemies in a new domain: Underwater. The small size and small crewing of the S800 means the learning curve to fully master the capabilities of the submarine won’t be as steep compared to larger conventional submarines.

S800 Submarine Technical Specifications:​

• Overall length: 51.00 m
• Surface displacement (ready to dive): 750 tonnes
• Submerged displacement: 850 tonnes
• Submerged speed: >15 knots
• Propulsion: AIP
• Crew: < 20 people

Our video coverage of the S800 at IDEX 2023:

Fincantieri Unveils S800 Coastal and Shallow Water Submarine - Naval News

Fincantieri unveiled the 800-ton submarine "S800" at the NAVDEX 2023 exhibition, that's being held in Abu Dhabi from February 20 to 24, 2023.

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