The Submarine of the Future – SMX-31 Unveiled and the Size of a Mothership

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 26/10/2020 at 14:40

Submarino SMX-31

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The Naval Group Unveiled Its New SMX-31 Submarine Concept, Integrating the Latest Digital Technologies for Greater Operational Efficiency and Enhanced Versatility.

A French defense contractor is showcasing a submarine design unlike any other. Inspired by the sperm whale, the SMX-31, also known as Electric, is heavily armed and supports a wide range of unmanned vehicles, even capable of functioning as a mothership for naval special forces. The submarine is also highly automated, with a crew of just 15 people.

Meet the Submarine of the Future

The new submarine has been designed to fulfill the long-term vision of the Naval Group. The France-based company stated that its naval architects considered the operational needs expressed by their clients who seek to invest in systems that will remain technologically superior over the 30 to 40-year lifecycle of the ships.

By 2040, in a context of ongoing ocean surveillance, navies will have to operate in increasingly complex environments.

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Technical Characteristics of the SMX-31 Submarine

Submerged Displacement: 3,200 tons
Length: 80 meters
Armament: 24 heavy weapons (naval cruise missiles, F21 torpedoes, anti-ship missiles)
Up to 6 UUV (533 mm) + 2 XLUUV
Facilities Dedicated to Special Forces (casemates, storage, vehicles and weapons, grouping areas…)
Two Electric Propulsion Motors Crew: 15 crew members + 12 to 20 pax
Submerged Mission: > 40 days at 8 knots

The SMX-31 Submarine can also act as a mothership for unmanned vehicles. It can launch unmanned aerial vehicles from a tethered launcher that floats to the surface while the submarine itself remains submerged. It will offload unmanned underwater vehicles from a rear hangar.

The SMX-31 will also accommodate underwater delivery vehicles, such as the 3rd Generation Submarine Propulsor for six men, used by naval special forces to infiltrate coastal areas.

The Submarine of the Future – SMX-31 Unveiled and the Size of a Mothership

The Naval Group Unveiled Its New SMX-31 Submarine Concept, Integrating the Latest Digital Technologies for Greater Operational Efficiency and Enhanced Versatility.

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Meet the Submarine of the Future

Technical Characteristics of the SMX-31 Submarine

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The Submarine of the Future – SMX-31 Unveiled and the Size of a Mothership

The Naval Group Unveiled Its New SMX-31 Submarine Concept, Integrating the Latest Digital Technologies for Greater Operational Efficiency and Enhanced Versatility.

Read Also

Meet the Submarine of the Future

Technical Characteristics of the SMX-31 Submarine

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

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