Spain’s state enterprise Navantia and German firm thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore shipbuilding opportunities in support of submarine efforts across Europe, NATO, and other international customers.
Central to the agreement is a closer industrial cooperation to deliver initiatives more efficiently, at lower cost, and at a faster pace.
Both companies will begin management-level discussions based on mutual trust and in accordance with unified competition rules and export control regulations.
Designs under the partnership will draw from TKMS’ proven submarine systems, with associated production planned at Navantia’s shipyard in Spain.
“Today we are taking a significant step towards … Europe’s strategic autonomy and sovereignty in defence,” said Ricardo Domínguez, executive chairman of Navantia.
“This collaboration will deliver cutting‑edge capabilities to our armed forces while leveraging the full potential of European defence investment. As leading players in the naval and defence domain, Navantia and TKMS are committed to actively contributing to this common European effort.”
‘Strong European Partners’
According to the consortium, the teaming agreement will address growing demand from militaries for advanced naval capabilities to counter evolving threats.
It is also expected to provide the “expertise, infrastructure, and experience” needed to tackle challenges in Europe’s manufacturing ecosystem.
“TKMS has been a global market leader in non-nuclear submarines for decades,” TKMS Supervisory Board Chairperson Volkmar Dinstuhl stated. “We share Navantia’s commitment to the highest quality standards and the clear goal of delivering quickly and reliably to our customers.”
“This memorandum of understanding enables us to leverage synergies between our shipyard capacities and to act together as strong European partners.”
Latest Projects
Navantia is currently engaged in the construction of up to six S-80 Isaac Peral-class submarines for the Spanish Navy, while TKMS is working on the production of up to 15 submarines for the German Navy and the Norwegian Navy.
In 2025, TKMS was named a finalist alongside South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean to deliver up to 12 next-generation diesel-electric submarines to replace Victoria-class submarines of the Royal Canadian Navy.
That same year, the German company won a contract to build six advanced conventional submarines for the Indian Navy, and secured a partnership with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to offer the U212 Near Future Submarine for the Philippine Navy.
