Spain Commits €792 Million to Arm S-80 Submarines With a Submarine-Launched Missile
Spain’s government has approved spending of up to 792 million euros to equip the Navy’s new-generation S-80-class submarines with a submarine-launched missile. The decision was taken by the Council of Ministers on November 10 and will be paid out over nine annual installments.
The official reference does not name the missile or its manufacturer, describing the item only as covering the development, integration and acquisition of a submarine-launched missile. Defense outlet Infodefensa reports that this points to Norway’s Kongsberg-built Naval Strike Missile (NSM), based on prior reporting rather than a confirmed contract.
Why NSM over Harpoon
In November 2024, the Spanish Navy dropped the US-made UGM-84 Sub-Harpoon as an option for the S-80s and set NSM as the alternative. In December 2023, the Navy signed a roughly 305 million euro contract with Kongsberg through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for 120 NSMs, destined first for five F-110 frigates and later for F-100s during their mid-life upgrade. First deliveries are expected in 2027, alongside the commissioning of the first F-110, the Bonifaz.
The Netherlands made a similar choice for its own submarines, picking NSM over a submarine-launched Tomahawk, citing high integration costs and the fact that the submarine variant of Tomahawk is no longer in production.
NSM is a subsonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile with a range of roughly 200 kilometers. It uses an infrared seeker and flies at low altitude to reduce its radar signature, combining inertial, GPS and image-based navigation.
Years of preparatory studies
Navantia, which designed and builds the S-80s, carried out three separate feasibility study contracts between 2023 and 2025 worth close to 2 million euros combined. The most recent, a 900,000-euro, three-month contract in 2025, was meant to define final requirements, preliminary design and risk estimates for a submarine-launchable version of the missile. The new 792 million euro line formally launches the project that those studies prepared the ground for.
Integration work will cover compatibility with torpedo tubes, combat-system integration and firing procedures, as well as updating employment doctrine. According to Infodefensa, a submarine-launched NSM would let the S-80s strike surface targets without having to surface, extending their strike reach while preserving the stealth that defines a submarine’s advantage.
Four boats, a new generation
The S-80 class comprises four air-independent-propulsion (AIP) submarines: Isaac Peral (S-81), Narciso Monturiol (S-82), Cosme García (S-83) and Mateo García de los Reyes (S-84), representing a new generation for Spain’s underwater capability.
The 792 million euro item is one of 13 separate defense files the Council of Ministers approved the same day, together worth 11.86 billion euros. The wider package covers mobile air defense systems, S-80 support and modernization, counter-drone systems, NH90 helicopter upgrades, an intelligence-gathering ship, the mid-life update of the Galicia-class amphibious ships and Segura-class minehunters.
Sources:
Infodefensa, “Defensa destina 792 millones para dotar a los submarinos S-80 con el misil NSM,” November 11, 2026, link — used for details on the Spanish cabinet’s November 10 decision, the budget line and the missile’s likely identity.
