French Defense Expands Naval Power with Delivery of Third Cutting-Edge Suffren-Class Submarine
With the delivery of the Tourville, Naval Group has successfully handed over 3 out of the 6 Suffren nuclear attack submarines intended for the French Navy to the DGA within a period of 4 years.
The arrival of the Tourville follows the previous handovers of the SSN Suffren in 2020 and the Duguay-Trouin in 2023, while the remaining three submarines in the initiative – the De Grasse, Rubis, and Casabianca – are currently undergoing construction at varying stages at Naval Group’s Cherbourg facilities. The De Grasse is scheduled for transfer to the launch site in spring 2025.
This batch of 6 SSNs is an integral part of the Barracuda initiative overseen by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) in collaboration with the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) responsible for the nuclear reactors, and aims to supplant the existing generation of Rubis-class SSNs in service with the French Navy.
Naval Group is tasked with the fabrication of this series of submarines, overseeing everything from design to shipbuilding, manufacturing the primary components of the nuclear reactors in partnership with TechnicAtome, and providing logistical assistance and vessel maintenance in Toulon.
This achievement is the fruit of close collaboration with our partners, which has reaped benefits from insights gathered during the operations of the Suffren and Duguay-Trouin. The delivery of the Tourville marks the final stage preceding operational assessments and entry into active service by the French Navy, following a 4-month sea trials campaign that commenced on July 12. These evaluations took place after the commissioning of the nuclear reactor room in April 2024, and the dockside trials conducted post-transfer of the submarine to its launch system on July 20, 2023. Operations performed in the dry dock integration bay, and subsequently in the water, enabled rigorous testing of systems and equipment.
Upon the Tourville’s induction into active service, the French Navy will possess a greater number of Suffren-class submarines compared to Rubis vessels.
The technical specifications of the Suffren-class submarines
- Surface displacement: 4,700 t
- Underwater displacement: 5,200 t
- Length: 99 meters
- Diameter: 8.8 meters
- Armament: naval cruise missiles, F21 heavyweight wire-guided torpedoes, upgraded Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles
- Hybrid propulsion: pressurized water reactor adapted from the reactors aboard the Triomphant-class SSBN and Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, two propulsion turbines, two turbo generators, and two electric motors
- Crew: 65 crew members + commandos
- Availability: > 270 days per year
