Brazilian Submarine Álvaro Alberto
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''Álvaro Alberto'', Brazil's first
nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
submarine, is the fifth unit of the based on the French and is part of a strategic partnership signed between
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 23 December 2008 that created the
Submarine Development Program The Submarine Development Program (PROSUB) is a partnership signed between Brazil and France in 2008, with the objective of Technology transfer, transferring technology for the Manufacturing, manufacture of military vessels. It is a component of ...
. The submarine was named after the former Vice Admiral and scientist
Álvaro Alberto da Motta e Silva Álvaro Alberto da Motta e Silva (April 22, 1889 – January 31, 1976), was a Brazilian vice admiral and scientist, responsible for the implementation of the Brazil and weapons of mass destruction, Brazilian Nuclear Program in the 1940s and ...
, who was the responsible for the implementation of the country's nuclear program. He also served as President of the
United Nations Atomic Energy Commission The United Nations Atomic Energy Commission (UNAEC) was founded on 24 January 1946 by the very first resolution of the United Nations General Assembly "to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy." The General Assembly aske ...
between 1946–47, and as President of the
Brazilian Academy of Sciences Brazilian commonly refers to: * Brazil, a country * Brazilians, its people * Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: * "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis * Brazilian Café, Baghdad, Iraq (1937) * Bra ...
for two terms.


Development

The beginning of the project for the domain of the
nuclear fuel cycle The nuclear fuel cycle, also known as the nuclear fuel chain, describes the series of stages that nuclear fuel undergoes during its production, use, and recycling or disposal. It consists of steps in the ''front end'', which are the preparation o ...
and nuclear reactors took place in 1979, in that year, under the
military regime A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a strongman, or by a council of mi ...
with leadership of the Army General
Ernesto Geisel Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (, ; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who served as the 29th president of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Born to German Lutheran ...
and later General
João Figueiredo João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (; 15 January 1918 – 24 December 1999) was a Brazilian military officer and dictator who served as the 30th president of Brazil from 1979 to 1985, the last of the Military dictatorship in Brazil, militar ...
, two enthusiasts of the nuclear technology, the government secretly joined the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research of São Paulo where it started to work in the most ambitious military program to date. In 1982, the scientists won its first major victory after adopting the ultracentrifugation technique for enrichment and learning about the
uranium hexafluoride Uranium hexafluoride, sometimes called hex, is the inorganic compound with the formula . Uranium hexafluoride is a volatile, white solid that is used in enriching uranium for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Preparation Uranium dioxide is co ...
technology in the city of
Poços de Caldas Poços de Caldas is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the south of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2020 was 168,641 inhabitants. The city is known for its hot springs. Histor ...
,
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
. In the same year, the project researchers achieved isotopic uranium enrichment with centrifuges built entirely in Brazil. Over a period of approximately 20 years, the country acquired the full nuclear fuel cycle and was able to begin the construction of the naval nuclear reactor. On 23 December 2008, Brazil purchased four Scorpène class conventionally-powered submarines from France in a deal of
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
10 billion (equivalent to US$14 billion in 2024), with a total
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 ...
agreement, giving to the country the knowledge for the design and construction of modern submarine hulls. The project was initiated in 2010 through the Submarine Development Program, with the
Madeira Island Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago. It has an area of , including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole (northwest). As of 2021, Madeira had a total population o ...
base in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
as the submarine development and manufacturing point. Between 2010 and 2012, a group of 31 engineers, 25 military officers and 6 civil employees, received theoretical training by the DCNS in
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
. In 2018, more than 400 Brazilian engineers worked on the nuclear submarine project staff, originally formed by the group that received training in France. The first Brazilian Scorpène-class submarine, , was launched on 14 December 2018, with the second unit in 2020 and the third unit in 2024. The fourth is planned for 2025. In 2018, after many years and a series of problems, delays in federal funding and program freezes, the prototype of the naval nuclear reactor, known internally as the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor was launched, by the state-owned nuclear company Nuclebrás. In 2020, the General Directorate of Nuclear and Technological Development of the Navy, authorized the production and testing of
uranium dioxide Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (), also known as urania or uranous oxide, is an oxide of uranium, and is a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite. It is used in nuclear fuel rods in nuclear reac ...
pellets for
zircaloy Zirconium alloys are solid solutions of zirconium or other metals, a common subgroup having the trade mark Zircaloy. Zirconium has very low absorption Nuclear cross section, cross-section of thermal neutrons, high hardness, ductility and corrosion ...
rods, essential for
pressurized water reactor A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan, India and Canada). In a PWR, water is used both as ...
s. The production of nuclear fuel for the ''Álvaro Alberto'' started in December 2021. On 6 June 2022, the Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...
,
Rafael Grossi Rafael Mariano Grossi (born 29 January 1961) is an Argentine diplomat. He has been serving as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since December 3, 2019. He was formerly the Argentine Ambassador to Austria, concurrent ...
, stated that Brazil has initiated formal discussions with IAEA about Alvaro Alberto's nuclear fuel inspections by the international agency. The construction of the boat officially started on 12 June 2024, with the ceremony of the first steel cut of the hull. The launch is expected for 2029 with more three or four years of
sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...
until the
commissioning Commissioning is a process or service provided to validate the completeness and accuracy of a project or venture. It may refer more specifically to: * Project commissioning, a process of assuring that all components of a facility are designed, in ...
between 2032 and 2034.


Construction programme


Strategic rationale

In the Brazilian doctrine, the ''raison d'etre'' of the national defense strategy is to develop deterrence capability against a possible hostile force to the national territory. The country understands that with its future nuclear fleet, at least some of its weapons will be able to survive the first strike of an enemy and prevent further attempts at aggression. Another stated reason is to defend the resource-rich " Blue Amazon", the country's
exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
and
continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...
.


Nuclear policy

The country has a policy of no nuclear weapons since the 1990s. Nonetheless, experts at the
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
have concluded that Brazil developed the technological capability to produce
first generation First generation, Generation I, or variants of this, may refer to: History * 1G, the first generation of wireless telephone technology * First generation of video game consoles, 1972–1983 * First generation computer, a vacuum-tube computer M ...
nuclear warheads.Brazil and the Bomb
German Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
If the country's current policy on this type of armament should change, Brazil would be able to produce highly enriched uranium using centrifuges like Resende for this type of armament.How Brazil Spun the Atom
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...
. Retrieved on 2010-10-06.
Instead, the country opted for working on the development of a nuclear submarine fleet. So far in the naval history, only the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, plus India – all nuclear-weapon states – have operated & developed nuclear submarines. The organization ''
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...
'' described Brazil as "the only non-nuclear weapon state on the verge of launching a nuclear-powered submarine". Carlo Patti, author of ''Brazil in the Global Nuclear Order'', told newspaper ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'', that Brazil's nuclear pursuit placed the country "in the threshold between being a nuclear state and not being a nuclear state". That policy, say experts, turned Brazil independent in the nuclear technology's field and allowed to "keep its international reputation as a responsible power among institutions for nuclear nonproliferation".


International reactions

The program have sparked diverse international reactions regarding the purpose over the years, for example, for , former Director of the Planning Staff of the German Ministry of Defense and
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
official, also former Chief of the
Konrad Adenauer Foundation The Konrad Adenauer Foundation ('' German: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: KAS'') is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's head ...
, "Brazil is almost certainly developing
nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...
, as the submarine program is clearly a cover for a nuclear bomb program" adding that "all Brazilian military officials basically agreed that the country needs a
nuclear test Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to signal strength. Bec ...
at some point to proof their new capabilities". For the Center for Security Studies of the
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, "Brazil appears to be counting on its new submarine to fulfills a long-held ambition for
great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...
status, challenging
nonproliferation Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, particularly those not recognized as nuclear-weapon states by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the ''Non-Proliferation T ...
norms, without making tough foreign policy decisions or building a convincing military strategic case". The French President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
praised the program during the launch of the submarine ''Tonelero'', one of the conventional units of the French-Brazilian partnership, and stated that the development shows that Brazil and France, "two international and peaceful great powers who reject being lackeys in a world divided between two blocks, must recognize that in this increasingly disorganized world, we must be able to speak of firmness and strength and know how to defend the
international order In international relations, international order refers to patterned or structured relationships between actors on the international level. Definition David Lake, Lisa Martin and Thomas Risse define "order" as "patterned or structured relat ...
with credibility" and that "only with peace we can built balance, but this requires us to be militarily stronger".


Espionage allegations

In March 2022, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' newspaper reported that US Navy employee Jonathan Toebbe and his wife Diana had approached the Brazilian embassy in Washington, with an offer to sell nuclear secrets about the to Brazilian military to aid in the development of the country's nuclear submarine program. Brazilian authorities then informed the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, which conducted an investigation culminating in the Toebbe's arrest for espionage; they pleaded guilty. Neither the American nor the Brazilian government have confirmed or denied the report.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Álvaro Alberto Proposed ships Riachuelo-class submarine Submarine classes Ships built in Brazil Submarines of the Brazilian Navy Attack submarines