Naval Group press release
The delivery of the Tourville follows that of the SSN Suffren in 2020 and that of the Duguay-Trouin in 2023, while the three other submarines in the program, the De Grasse, the Rubis and the Casabianca, are all currently under construction at various stages of completion at the Naval Group site in Cherbourg. The De Grasse will be transferred to the launching facility in spring 2025.
This series of 6 SSNs is part of the Barracuda programme led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) in partnership with the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) for nuclear reactors, with the aim of replacing the generation of Rubis-class SSNs in service with the French Navy.
Naval Group is responsible for the production of this series of submarines, from their design to the construction of the ships, the manufacture of the main components of the nuclear reactors developed and built with TechnicAtome, the provision of logistical support, and the maintenance of the ships in Toulon.
The result of cooperation with our partners, who have benefited from experience gained on the Suffren and the Duguay-Trouin, and the last stage before operational trials and admission to active service by the French Navy, the delivery of the Tourville comes after a 4-month campaign of sea trials that began on 12 July. These trials followed the divergence of the nuclear reactor in April 2024 and the dockside trials carried out since the submarine was transferred to its launching system on 20 July 2023. Prior to this, operations carried out in the dry dock integration bay and then in the water had enabled the equipment and systems to be tested alongside the dock.
As soon as the Tourville is admitted to active service, the French Navy will operate more Suffren-class submarines than Rubis-class.
Technical specifications of the Barracuda:
- Surface displacement: 4,700 tonnes
- Diving displacement: 5,200 tonnes
- Length: 99 metres
- Diameter: 8.8 metres
- Armament: Naval cruise missiles (MdCN), F21 heavy wire-guided torpedoes, modernised Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile
- Hybrid propulsion: A pressurised water reactor derived from the boiler rooms fitted on the Le Triomphant type SSBN and the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, two propulsion turbines, two turbo alternators, and two electric motors.
- Crew: 65 + commandos
- Availability at sea: > 270 days a year
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