http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1enFYwbKw
video of the baptism ceremony. Few shots of the submarine in the water.

Non-Subscriber Extract
Portuguese Type 209PN is quick off the mark with harbour trials
By Michael Nitz
17 July 2008

The first of two Type 209PN submarines for the Portuguese Navy was named and launched at ThysssenKrupp Marine Systems' Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, on 15 July.


Tridente began harbour trials immediately following the ceremony and the 68 m-long boat is due to commence sea trials early in 2009, with delivery to the customer by the end of that year.


A procurement contract for Tridente and sistership Arpao - worth around EUR800 million (USD958 million), including offset agreements - was signed by the Portuguese government and the German Submarine Consortium (consisting of HDW, Nordseewerke and trading house MAN Ferrostaal) in April 2004.


Construction of Arpao is running to schedule, according to HDW, and is expected to start sea trials in early 2010, with delivery later that year. The two units will form the 5th Submarine Squadron based in Lisbon.


The boats will replace three ageing Albacora-class submarines built for Portugal in the 1960s, only one of which - NRP Barracuda - remains in service. It is due to decommission in December 2009, leaving the country temporarily without an underwater capability.


182 of 483 words
© 2008 Jane's Information Group
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jni/jni080717_1_n.shtml>

Sigh...if this one doesn't reach 20 replies, I'll probably choose another nationality. (European Football Championship doesn't count).

s4nd are you Russian? that's what i fought..

Anyway, do you exactly know the size of the Portugese army including tanks, airforce, etc??

thanks and take care

----------------------------
Don't get rude to me
because
Im a Turkish refugee''
-----------------------------
''geldim, gebertdim, sikdim''
''I came, i killed, i destroyed''
Gaius Julius Tezel wolf (2021)

Small prototype waff advert i did (only draft)


YOU MUST DO LITTLE EVIL TO DO GREATER GOOD!
Tezel, 2008, 2:57am, :D

good now they have space in the yard so the construction of the 6th u212 can start

Quote: s4nd are you Russian? that's what i fought.. Anyway, do you exactly know the size of the Portugese army including tanks, airforce, etc?? thanks and take care

I'm really not sure what I am nowadays...I'm portuguese national living in Brazil for 5 years now, with dutch grandmother and a half-turkish wife. Right now I'm writing you from Lisbon-Portugal because its my short vacations but doesn't feel like home anymore really.

Now, regarding your question....it's more or less this. Might not be super exacly on date:

portuguese armed forces
longest Alliance in the World (with england , since 1386 - although they always fckued us. Ass:Louis)
Stanavforlant HQ

Air Force
40 F-16 MLU (20 fighters+20 fighter bombers)
40 Alpha Jet A
12 Casa C-295 (ordered - arrive this year)
6 P-3C update II
12 Merlin EH-101 (some 8 or 10 SA330C in store)
plus Casa 212-100 aviocar, casa 212-300 maritime reconnaisance, Epsilons, alouette III (last ones retire this year), Falcon 20s and Falcon 50s.
4 A-400 on order

NAVY
5 Super Lynx Mk.95 (a couple more might come with the dutch frigates)
0+2 Karel Doorman Class FFG(2008/2009)
3 Meko 200 Class FFG
Last 2 of other frigates went to Uruguay this year.
Some 7 Corvettes and 4 big patrol boats still left
0+2 SSK Type 214 (2009/2010)
1 SSK Daphne class
1 Rover class AOR
2+8? NPO2000 ocean patrol boats (first 2 built already 3 years ago)
9 Argos class PC
other patrol classes are decommissioning
Several survey vessels
1600 marines (their assault rifle will be G-36K)
20 Pandur II (supposed to equip the still enexistant LPD/small LHD or JSS - will be built by HDW)
Special actions detachment

Army
Professional Army (48.000)
troops in: Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, East-timor
Commandos, Rangers - army had NBC training
37 Leopard 2A4
80 M-60A3
240 Pandur II + (15 pandur II 105mm)
M109A5, M48 Chaparral, Stinger launchers, a million M113s and Chaimite armoured cars (chaimites will be replaced by more Pandur II)
Milan, TOW, Carl Gustav
The G3 assault rifle will be replaced by G-36K

hope it helps, thanks for the interest.

''hope it helps, thanks for the interest.''

Cool, nice inventory for a nation like the Portugese, your armoured force is good with the leo2's in use. Thanks for the information...

Do the portugese produce their own weapons? maybe like mortars, guns, etc?

Thank you and Take care

----------------------------
Don't get rude to me
because
Im a Turkish refugee''
-----------------------------
''geldim, gebertdim, sikdim''
''I came, i killed, i destroyed''
Gaius Julius Tezel wolf (2021)

Small prototype waff advert i did (only draft)


YOU MUST DO LITTLE EVIL TO DO GREATER GOOD!
Tezel, 2008, 2:57am, :D

Quote: Do the portugese produce their own weapons? maybe like mortars, guns, etc?

Small arms production, corvette sized warships, plus the pandur II armoured cars and minor components for NASA, ESA and Airbus.

obviously our forces are a shadow of the powerful military of the 60's that fought for 13 years in 3 different countries. Our diplomats were better then aswell..used to win debates against the rest of the world....
..are we approaching the 20 answers mark? ;c)

Lets help you get to 20 (Being Armenian, no one cares about our crappy country lol, so I sympathize).

Portugal should decrease its armed forces and join a European combat brigade. A strong 20k defense for home and 20k more for being shipped abroad in peace keeping shall give the Portuguese military good experience. Do you guys have peace keepers anywhere?

Portugal definitely doesn't need submarines as much as it needs an airforce. Personal question, is Portugal a good place to live?

Quote: Being Armenian, no one cares about our crappy country lol, so I sympathize

Exacly.

Well we were supposed to be in Eurokorps already, but our marines are part of a bigger southern european unit along with italians and spanyards.

Yeah, I guess half of our military is mobile to be deployed abroad. We have troops in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, East-Timor, Irak (military police) plus instructors in several other african countries. We balance our short numbers and old equipment with the best sense of improvisation and a special talent to win "hearts and minds" in some of the ugliests war zones.

We have the biggest Exclusive Economic Zone of Europe, so the submarines are needed as the only real dissuasive weapon in our arsenal.

To live? it depends...If you're looking for a job it's bad, but if you're invited to a post or want to set up a small company is great. Very modern country although people are quite sad, longing for our bright past. We are of the celtic branch with mediterranean flavour. The climate is good and we accept foreigners really good, unless they are asylum seekers.
The food uses the same ingredients you will find in all Mediterranean Basin. The Sea is different of any other part in the World, quite magnetic and I can't really explain you why.

''(Being Armenian, no one cares about our crappy country lol, so I sympathize).''

Why do you put your own country down? Never put your own country down!

----------------------------
Don't get rude to me
because
Im a Turkish refugee''
-----------------------------
''geldim, gebertdim, sikdim''
''I came, i killed, i destroyed''
Gaius Julius Tezel wolf (2021)

Small prototype waff advert i did (only draft)


YOU MUST DO LITTLE EVIL TO DO GREATER GOOD!
Tezel, 2008, 2:57am, :D

The United States is my country, Armenia is the land of my forefathers. If I can do anything to help Armenia, I will, but I am an American as well.

What do you mean the sea is Magnetic? Are Portuguese girls attractive? Need to mate with other ethnic groups to get better genes.

Is a Type 209PN the same as a Type 214??

Type 209 is Type 209. Type 212 is Type 212.

Why do you put your own country down? Never put your own country down

I second tat.




colours of Kaziranga

As you can see in the video and pictures, the submarine is actually a type-214, they were even more expensive than the ones of Greece unfortunately. With some 100 million euros more we would have 4 submarines, but I guess our politicians have short sight.

The confusion between Type 209PN or Type 214 is this:
The type 214 submarine was presented at the second phase of our submarine acquisition contest (is this the word?), but with the same technical requirements that the portuguese navy asked both companies. So they just added the "PN" letters to the new model, which is really a type-214.
In the first phase, HDW was competing with the Scorpene/MESMA with its type 209-1400/AIP.
This submarine is planned to operate mostly in ocean waters, so the hull is stronger than type 212 and the diving depth increased.
Actually DCN took HDW to court because they complained that the type-209PN was a new submarine and they should be excluded. But the economic benefits from ordering to the germans was far better. We have option for 1 more submarine and the LPD/small LHD will be built by HDW.