Combat Fleets

In December 2005, Brazil commissioned the submarine Tikuná (S 34) into service. The submarine, a German Type 209 variant, is the fifth and final boat of this class to enter service with the Brazilian fleet. Construction of the submarine took a decade to complete because of numerous delays and a two-year work stoppage. The delays, however, contributed to numerous improvements, including a lengthened hull that allows for a more powerful propulsion system and improved endurance, automatic depth control, reduced radiated noise, a freshwater distilling system, a new weapons control system, improved air conditioning systems as well as fittings to accept a submarine rescue submersible and the ability to put two people at a time into the rescue lock-out chamber. The lead submarine of the class, Tupi (S 30), shown to the right, was built in Kiel, Germany at Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) Shipyard. The remaining units of the class, Tamoio (S 31), Timbira (S 32), Tapajó (S 33), and Tikuná were all built in Brazil by Arsenal do Marinha de Rio de Janeiro.

Peru has acquired four Lupo-class frigates from the Italian Navy, joining four sisters already in service. Of the former Italian ships, Lupo was transferred this past May and has been renamed Aguirre while Orsa was transferred in June 2005 and is now called Palacios. Transfer to Peru of the former Italian frigates Perseo and Sagittaro can be expected in the second half of 2006. After decommissioning from Italian naval service, the retired frigates were transferred to shipbuilder Fincantieri, where they have undergone numerous upgrades and modernizations. The transferred warships will join Carvajal, Villavisencio, Montero, and Mariategui (shown to the right), which entered Peruvian service between 1979 and 1987. Eighteen Lupo-class frigates were built in total, including eight for the Italian Navy (four of which were originally intended for Iraq), six for Venezuela, and four for Peru.

Long rumored probable, the transfer of two French Ouragan-class dock landing ships to Argentina has been finalized. The two ships, Ouragan and Orage (pictured to the right in November 2004) are expected to arrive in Buenos Aires during March 2006, manned by a mixed French-Argentine crew. Reports indicate that one of the two ships will remain active while the second will be cannibalized for spare parts. Current Argentine naval plans for 2006 also include the completion of a refit on board the hydrographic survey ship Comodoro Rivadavia and the start of upgrades for Antarctic support ship Almirante Irizar and TR-1700-class submarine San Juan.