Naval Group: the SSN Tourville starts its sea trials

Cherbourg, 12th July 2024 – After the Suffren’s first sea trials on 28 April 2020 and that of the Duguay-Trouin, the second in series, on 25 March 2023, a new milestone has been reached in the production of the Barracuda program SSNs, with the first sea trials of the Tourville, on July 12th, 2024. The submarine will now go through different trials to test its performances before its delivery, scheduled at the end of 2024.

The Tourville is the third submarine of the Barracuda program, led by the French General Armament Directorate (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA) for the nuclear boilers part. This program intends to replace the Ruby-class SSNs currently in service within the French Navy. Naval Group is in charge of the production of these submarines, from their design to their construction, as well as the manufacture of the main components of the nuclear boilers which are developed and produced with TechnicAtome. Naval Group is also in charge of providing logistical support and maintaining the submarines in Toulon.

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.

Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group said: “The Barracuda series represents a major industrial programme. It mobilizes our employees, partners and subcontractors. I would like to highlight the unfailing commitment and skills of our teams and those of TechnicAtome, DGA, CEA and the French Navy. Thanks to the commitment of all these stakeholders, we are able to respond faster and more effectively to the needs of the French Navy and France.”

Industrial performance on a local and national scale

The production of these submarines gathers a multitude of exceptional skills and expertise, including in the most advanced technological fields. The Barracuda program calls on the skills of Naval Group – all Naval Group sites, as well as on the industrial sites of TechnicAtome and numerous partner companies.

This programme is the collective work of hundreds of partners in the defence industrial and technological base who have been working with Naval Group for decades:

• many years were necessary to study the feasibility of the project and lead to the definition of a submarine that meets the operational need of this particularly ambitious project on the technological and military levels;
• since the launch of the project, nearly 10,000 people from the program management and industrial subcontracting chain have worked for the Barracuda program;
• a total of 2,500 men and women (including about 800 from Naval Group subcontractors) are currently working on the Barracuda series;
• Since 2015, between 400 and 600 people have been working full-time on the production of the Tourville.

Barracuda: French excellence

Designed to meet the operational needs of the current and future Navy, the Suffren class SSN is equipped with extensive operational capabilities and the latest technologies. More versatile, more powerful and better armed than its predecessors, the Suffren-type SSN will enable the Navy to go faster and further. It is designed to control all types of maritime spaces, from the high seas to coastal areas.

This submarine is equipped with nuclear propulsion, which offers a remarkable action range and discretion. It is also equipped with communications systems enabling its integration within a naval force.

The Suffren-type SSN is one of the world’s stealthiest submarines. This characteristic, combined with its advanced detection capabilities, guarantees her acoustic superiority. With increased autonomy, these submarines are also more maneuverable and mobile thanks to their navigation and communication systems, and their centralised and automated driving. Another major innovation is the optronic mast, which replaces the telescopic mast, ensuring better visual information gathering and sharing among the crew. This new feature, combined with advanced detection capabilities, guarantees the superiority of these SSNs in their intelligence missions.

The Barracuda-class submarines will also provide the French Navy with superiority in combat, thanks to the naval cruise missiles (MdCN) produced by MBDA, giving it a deepwater precision strike capability for the first time. They are also equipped with the F21 heavyweight torpedo produced by Naval Group, and MBDA’s SM39 anti-ship missile. These SSNs also have enhanced capabilities for the discreet deployment of special forces underwater.

Technical characteristics of the Barracuda

• surface displacement: 4,700 tonnes ;
• diving displacement: 5,200 tonnes ;
• length: 99 metres ; diameter: 8.8 metres ;
• armament: naval cruise missiles, F21 heavy-weight wire-guided torpedoes, modernised Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles ;
• hybrid propulsion: pressurised water reactor derived from the reactors on board the Triomphant-type 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.

File photo courtesy Naval Group