The ''Agosta''-class submarine is a class of diesel-electric fast-attack submarine developed and constructed by the French DCNS in the 1970s to succeed the submarines. The submarines have served in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

as well as exported to the navies of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It also used by Royal Malaysian Navy for the training purpose. They were replaced in French service by the

nuclear attack submarine An SSN is a nuclear-powered general-purpose attack submarine. ''SSN'' is the US Navy hull classification symbol for such vessels; the ''SS'' denotes a submarine and the ''N'' denotes nuclear power. The designation SSN is used for interoperabili ...

s but are still in

active service Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

with the navies of

and

. The French Navy grouped this model of submarine in their most capable class as an ''océanique'', meaning "ocean-going." The ''Agosta'' class is named for its lead unit, , which in turn was named for the Battle of Augusta (french: Agosta) of 22 April 1676.

Ships

French Navy

built by Arsenal de Cherbourg * ''Agosta'' (S 620) – completed 1977 – decommissioned 1997 * ''Bévéziers'' (S 621) – completed 1977 – decommissioned 1998 * ''La Praya'' (S 622) – completed 1978 – decommissioned 2000 * (S 623) – completed 1978 – decommissioned 2001(transferred to Royal Malaysian Navy).

Spanish Navy

built by Cartagena dockyard * ''Galerna'' (S 71) – completed 1983 – in service * '' Siroco'' (S 72) – completed 1983 – decommissioned 2012 * ''Mistral'' (S 73) – completed 1985 – decommissioned 2020 * (S 74) – completed 1985 – in service

Pakistan Navy

* PNS/M ''Hashmat'' (S135) – completed in 1979, originally named ''Astrant'' * PNS/M ''Hurmat'' (S136) – completed in 1980, originally named ''Adventurous'' On 10 September 1974,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

announced to expand its submarine arm by entering in defence talks with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to acquire the ''Agosta-70''-class submarines.

South African Prime Minister The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...

P. W. Botha Pieter Willem Botha, (; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006), commonly known as P. W. and af, Die Groot Krokodil (The Big Crocodile), was a South African politician. He served as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and ...

engaged in discussion with acquiring two ''Agosta-70''-class submarines with

French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...

Valéry d'Estaing, and had

Capt. Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

L. J. Woodburne as the project-manager of acquisition of ''Agosta-70'' program in South African Navy. Dubigeon-Normandie, the French contractor, built two Agosta-70 class submarine. However,

denied to order of delivery to South African Navy following the implementation of Resolution 418 (an arms embargo) by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. In 1983–1985, the class of submarines were deployed in

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

to deter the actions of the larger Indian Navy in seaborne theatre. As part of the Cold War operation, they were deployed in the Arabian Sea and later embarked on being deployed on long-range mission to test depth and submerged endurance in

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

Variants

The Agosta-90B-class submarines is an improved version with modern systems, better battery with longer endurance, deeper diving capability, lower acoustic cavitation and better automatic control (reducing crew from 54 to 36). It can be equipped with the MESMA air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. It is capable of carrying a combined load up to 16 torpedoes, SM39 Exocet, and seaborne nuclear cruise missiles. The submarines were built through the

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

by France to Pakistan that resulted in complicated and lengthy negotiations between the Benazir Bhutto government and the Mitterrand administration in 1992, and signed with the Chirac administration in 1992. The ''Agosta–90B''s were chosen over the British ''Upholder''/''Victoria'' class and the project was initially aimed at $520 million but the programme of technology transfer costed $950 million, for which France first provided loans that were paid in five to six years. In 2000, France gave Pakistan the licence to offer commercial production of the submarines to potential customers. The SM39 was test-fired from a ''Khalid''-class submarine in 2001. * PNS/M ''Khalid'' (S137) – built in France by DCN Cherbourg, completed in 1999 * PNS/M ''Saad '' (S138) – assembled in Pakistan with French assistance, completed in 2002 * PNS/M ''Hamza'' (S139) – built in Pakistan with French assistance, commissioned 14 August 2006 In March 2018, DCNS, the original builder lost a bidding competition to the Turkish firm STM, for mid-life upgrades to the 3 class subs. The upgrades will replace "the submarine’s entire sonar suite, periscope systems, command and control system, radar and electronic support systems. HAVELSAN- urkey’s state-controlled military software companyand ASELSAN urkish defense contractormade systems will also be exported as part of the project.” As well as install a "SharpEye low probability-of-intercept (LPI) radar system aboard" and "make modifications on the pressure hull, the most critical structure in a submarine, by carrying out system-to-system and platform-to-system integrations for various systems, to be provided by local and foreign companies.”

References

External links

Naval Technology
page on Agosta 90B {{Agosta class submarines Submarine classes A Ship classes of the French Navy