Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (center) was the guest of honor for the ceremony marking the complete assembly of the nuclear reactor which will eventually power the country’s first nuclear-powered attack submarine. (Brazilian Navy photo)
The Minister of Defense, Fernando Azevedo, accompanied the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, during the ceremony, which also counted on the presence of the Navy Commander, Admiral Ilques Barbosa.
The ceremony, held at the Nucleo-electric Generation Laboratory (LABGENE) complex, marks the beginning of an important stage of PROSUB, which is part of the Navy Nuclear Program (PNM). This is because the assembly of the reactor will, in the future, be replicated in the construction of the first Brazilian submarine with nuclear propulsion, the “Álvaro Alberto”.
In the next phases of the program, the reactor, as well as the turbine generators, the electric motor and other systems similar to those of a nuclear-powered submarine, will be tested in a controlled manner at LABGENE. The purpose is to validate the operation of the reactor and the various electromechanical systems integrated with it, prior to installation on the submarine.
Nas próximas etapas do programa, os demais sistemas do submarino nuclear serão testados de forma controlada no LABGENE, com objetivo principal de validar, de forma segura, a operação do reator antes de sua instalação a bordo do submarino. #PROSUB #Submarino
— Marinha do Brasil (@marmilbr) October 21, 2020
: Marcos Corrêa/PR pic.twitter.com/FStfAmawaQ
After the tests are finished, a similar reactor will be installed in the submarine Álvaro Alberto, projected in the Naval Complex of Itaguaí, in Rio de Janeiro. It is in Itaguaí that the four submarines with diesel-electric propulsion are being developed, also included in the PROSUB program: the Riachuelo (S-40), already launched, the Humaitá (S-41), the Tonelero (S-42) and Angostura (S-43).
PNM and PROSUB are part of Brazilian Defense Programs and foster the country's capacity to design, build, operate and maintain nuclear powered submarines. With this, Brazil will join the list of five countries with these competencies. They are: United States, United Kingdom, France and China.
Submarines are essential, not only for defense policy, but also to stimulate national development and guarantee naval sovereignty.
The Minister of Defense pointed out that "PROSUB is extremely important for Brazil, as it adds operational capacity to the Navy and adds very large deterrent power to our Armed Forces and to the defense of our country".
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