The Commission of Foreign Relations and National Defense of the Federal Senate approved, this Thursday, March 24, the agreement of cooperation secured between Brazil and France that will allow the construction of four conventional submarines and a nuclear one for the Brazilian Navy.

In 2009, the Federal Senate approved of the employment of international lending to enable the Program of Development of Submarines (Prosub), estimated in R$ 19 billions.

The nuclear submarine probably will be ready around 2021.

The cooperation includes the methods, the technologies, the tools, the equipments and the technical back-up in all the stages of the project of conventional submarines of the type Scòrpene, as well as of one submarine with conventional armaments designed to receive a nuclear reactor.

The cooperation also includes the construction of a shipyard, where the submarines will be built, and of a naval base able to shelter them.

The agreement assures the transfer of technology relative to the project and the French support to the conception and construction of the non-nuclear part of the SNBR submarine.

The cooperation will last three years after the first static immersion of the SNBR and won´t exceed the limit of 25 years.

The Brazilian government considered the necessity, detected by the Navy, of submarines of nuclear propulsion, which will be able to promote a more appropriate vigilance of the deep waters of the Brazilian continental platform, where there are the fields of oil of the Pre-Salt layer, and the decision of France of offering its technology.

The project of the nuclear submarine is 15 years delayed and it probably will be developed in a slower rhythm after the announcement by the government of a cut of more than R$ 4 billions in the Budget of the Defense.