Brasil's Nuclear Submarine Program Advances With New Contract For Naval Group

Brazil’s nuclear submarine program advances with new contract for Naval Group Published on 05/09/2025 By João Paulo Moralez In News SN-10 Álvaro Alberto nuclear powered submarine Illustration of the nuclear-powered submarine SN-10 Álvaro Alberto is scheduled for delivery from 2034 onwards. Share Two contracts totaling more than €526 million have been signed with Naval Group under the scope of the Brazilian Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine program. Brazil and France, which maintain a long-term strategic partnership through the Submarine Development Programme (PROSUB), have entered into two further significant agreements. According to the Diário Oficial da União, published on 28 August 2025, the Navy’s Directorate-General for Nuclear and Technological Development (DGDNTM) established contract no. 21/2025 with Naval Group, valued at €246.3 million. The agreement covers the provision of special engineering services, procurement and construction for the electromechanical assembly of the Controlled Auxiliary Building (PAC) of the Nuclear Power Generation Laboratory (LABGENE). The contract has a duration of 72 months from its signing on 4 June 2025. The second agreement, contract no. 20/2025, is valued at €282.1 million and includes specialised technical consultancy services for the Additional Systems of the Conventionally Armed Nuclear Submarine (SNCA). This contract is expected to last 54 months, also beginning in June. Understanding the PROSUB program PROSUB is one of the most important strategic initiatives of the Brazilian Navy. Launched in 2008, it involves the acquisition and production of four Scorpène-class submarines and one nuclear-powered submarine derived from the same class. The programme aims to modernise Brazil’s naval industry, generate jobs and strengthen the local workforce through a comprehensive technology transfer agreement. It also encompassed the construction of infrastructure at the Naval Complex of Itaguaí (Complexo Naval de Itaguaí, CNI), Rio de Janeiro, which hosts Itaguaí Construções Navais, responsible for submarine construction. The complex also includes the Metal Structures Manufacturing Unit (UFEM), dedicated to structural assembly and welding; a specialised maintenance centre; piers; two dry docks each measuring 140 metres in length; workshops; administrative areas; 13 berths; and a shiplift measuring 110 metres by 20 metres with a load capacity of up to 8,000 tonnes. Brazil has also procured F-21 heavyweight torpedoes from Naval Group. LABGENE, the Nuclear Power Generation Laboratory, is a land-based facility located in Iperó, São Paulo, designed to test and optimise nuclear propulsion systems prior to their integration into PROSUB submarines. Of the four conventionally powered submarines, two are already in service (S-40 Riachuelo and S-41 Humaitá). The third, S-42 Tonelero, is undergoing sea trials, while the fourth, S-43 Angostura, is expected to be completed soon. The nuclear-powered submarine SN-10 Álvaro Alberto is scheduled for delivery from 2034 onwards.