Third Suffren-class SSN, "Tourville" (S637), begins maiden sea trials.
The Tourville (S637) is the third Suffren-class SSN. The first sea trials, also known as “Alpha Trials”, was conducted off the Naval Group submarine shipyard of Cherbourg in Normandy, with the submarine setting sails 12 July 2024.
A press release shared by Naval Group read:
The Tourville first sea trials follow the commissioning of the nuclear boiler room in April 2024 and the dock tests carried out since the submarine was transferred to its launching gear on 20 July 2023. The operations carried out in the integration bay, in the dry then water-filled docks, enabled the equipment and systems to be tested beforehand at quay.
The Barracuda series is well underway and the pace is quickening: the remaining three submarines in the program (de Grasse, Rubis and Casabianca) are all currently under construction, at different stages of completion. Their deliveries will be staggered at a rate of one every two years until 2030. With a lifespan of more than 30 years, the Barracuda program commits submarine forces until at least 2060, making it one of the major weapons systems of this century.
It should be noted that, once the Tourville is admitted to active service, the French Navy will operate more Suffren-type submarines than Rubis-type submarines.
First submarine of the class, Suffren, was delivered in November 2020. It entered “active duty” in June 2022 and completed its first operational deployment in January 2023. The second boat-in-class Duguay-Trouin was delivered in August 2023 and was commissioned in April 2024.
The French shipbuilder has to deliver four SSNs of the class by 2026. The final boat of the class, Casabianca, is expected to be handed over to the French Navy in 2029.
Suffren in numbers:
- Surface displacement: 4,700 tons
- Diving displacement: 5,100 tons
- Length: 99 meters
- Diameter: 8.8 meters
- Maximum depth: > 350 meters
- Speed: > 25 knots
- Armament: naval cruise missiles, F21 heavy-weight wire-guided torpedoes, modernized Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles, FG-29 mines, D-19 UUV (future development)
- Hybrid propulsion: pressurized water reactor (150MW) derived from the reactors on board the Triomphant-class SSBN and Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, two propulsion turbines, two turbo generators and two electric motors
- Crew: 63 crew members + approx. 15 commandos
- Endurance: 70 days at sea (or until food supplies run out)
Innovation for naval combat
Suffren-class SSNs are equipped with numerous innovations that allow them to demonstrate differentiating capabilities in many areas. The French Navy’s new class of submarines is able to strike deep behind enemy line all while remaining stealthy thanks to the torpedo tube-launched naval cruise missile (MdCN). The integration of state-of-the-art sensors also gives it superior anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The non-penetrating optronic masts (by Safran Electronic and Defense) are a disruptive technology. They bring unmatched high quality (4K) imagery and every sailor in the CIC can access them. Finally, these submarines comes with systems that facilitate the deployment of naval special forces. In particular, the Dry Deck Shelter, a removable deck hangar, allows the deployment of the new PSM3G swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) and a dozen combat swimmers.