On 27 May 2025, the fourth Barracuda class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) has left its construction hall in order to be transferred to the DME floating platform-type shiplift. The De Grasse is part of a series of six Suffren-class SSNs that will gradually replace the Rubis-class submarines of the French Navy.
Naval Group press release
The De Grasse is the fourth ship of the Barracuda program. Its rollout is a key step in the program’s progress which will lead to the beginning for its sea trials in 2026. Prior to this, completion work and initial tests will be
carried out at quayside.
“The rollout of the De Grasse is a major milestone for the Barracuda program” said Pierre Éric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group: “I would like to salute the dedication and expertise of Naval Group’s teams, those of TechnicAtome, the DGA, the CEA, the French Navy, as well as those of all our partners. Reaching this new milestone is a testament to the know-how of the French naval industry which is proudly at the service of our armed forces”.
A program of excellence which mobilizes the expertise of the French defense industrial and technological base
Led by the French defense procurement agency (Direction générale de l’armement – DGA), in partnership with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in charge of the nuclear steam supply system, the Barracuda program aims to replace the Ruby-type nuclear attack submarines commissioned from the early 1980s. The program involves the delivery of 6 submarines by 2030.
The Barracuda program calls on the skills of all Naval Group sites, as well as on the industrial sites of TechnicAtome and numerous partner companies.
Naval Group is in charge of the production of this series of six submarines, from the design to the construction of the ships, the manufacture of the main components of the nuclear steam supply system developed and built with TechnicAtome, the provision of logistical support and the maintenance of the ships in Toulon.
The Barracuda-class submarines provide the French Navy with a deep strike capability thanks to MBDA’s naval cruise missiles (NCM). They are also equipped with the F21 heavyweight torpedo produced by Naval Group and the SM39 anti-ship missile from MBDA. These SSNs also allow the discreet deployment of Special Forces underwater, in particular thanks to its “divers hatch” and the optional carrying of a dry deck shelter allowing for the deployment of underwater vehicles.
This technological and capability leap is the result of more than twenty years of collective work between Naval Group and hundreds of partners of the defense industrial and technological base.
A total of 2,500 men and women (including around 800 from Naval Group subcontractors) are contributing to the design and production of the Barracuda submarines.
Technical characteristics of the Barracuda SSNs
- Surface displacement: 4,700 tons
- Diving displacement: 5,200 tons
- Length: 99 meters
- Diameter: 8.8 meters
- Armament: naval cruise missiles, F21 heavy-weight wire-guided torpedoes, modernized
Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles - Hybrid propulsion: pressurized water reactor derived from the reactors on board the Triomphant-type SSBN and Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, one propulsion turbine, two turbo generators and two electric motors;
- Crew: 63 crew members + commandos
- Availability: > 270 days per year
