Brazil’s President Michel Temer was present on Tuesday at the initiation ceremony for the S40 Riachuelo, the first of four Scorpene submarines ordered for the Brazilian Navy from France’s Naval Group.
After final assembly, the submarine is set to launch later this year and enter service in 2020.
Riachuelo is the first of four submarines that built in Brazil under a 2008 contract between the Brazilian Navy and Naval Group.
France will assist with the construction of three additional diesel-electric submarines (Humaita, Tonelero and Ango Stura) and the development of a nuclear-powered submarine under a 2010 contract.
The submarines are built at a construction site at the Itaguai Naval Complex base and shipyard.
Initially developed by French Direction des Constructions Navales and Spain’s Navantia, the Scorpene-class submarine is capable of anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare along with intelligence-gathering, surveillance and mining.