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The Suffren class is a class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, designed by the French shipbuilder Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS and DCN) for the French Navy. It is intended to replace the Rubis-class submarines. Construction began in 2007 and the lead boat of the class, Suffren, was commissioned on 6 November 2020.[2] It officially entered active service on 3 June 2022.[7]
 Suffren-class profile | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Suffren class |
| Builders | Naval Group |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Preceded by | Rubis class |
| Subclasses | Orka class |
| Cost | €10.42 billion (2014)[1] for 6 units (about €1.73 billion per unit ) |
| Built | 2007–present |
| In commission | 2020–present[2] |
| Planned | 6 |
| Building | 3 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Active | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Nuclear attack submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 99.5 m (326 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 8.8 m (28 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | Unlimited range |
| Endurance | Depends on the amount of food carried or potential crew fatigue while operational (typically 70 days worth of food is embarked)[3] |
| Test depth | >350 m (1,150 ft)[4] |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
Development
In October 1998, the Delegation Générale pour l'Armement, the French government's defense procurement agency, established an integrated project team consisting of the Naval Staff, DCN (now known as Naval Group), Technicatome and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, a regulatory body that oversees nuclear power plants, to oversee a program the design of a new attack submarine class, called Barracuda.[8] DCN was to be the boat's designer and builder while Technicatome (since acquired by Areva) was to be responsible for the nuclear power plant. The two companies were to act jointly as a single prime contractor to share the industrial risks, manage the schedules, and be responsible for the design's performance and costs, which at the time was estimated to be US$4.9 billion.[8]
On 22 December 2006, the French government placed a €7.9 billion order for six Suffren submarines with Naval Group and their nuclear power plants with Areva-Technicatome.[9] According to the DGA “Competition at the subcontractor level will be open to foreign companies for the first time.”[10] According to the contract, the first boat was to commence sea trials in early 2016, with delivery occurring in late 2016/early 2017. This was to be followed by entry into service in late 2017.[11] However, this timetable for service entry was later pushed back into the early 2020s.
The first boat of the class, Suffren, became fully operational in June 2022. The second boat of the class, Duguay-Trouin, also suffered delays but began sea trials on 26 March 2023,[12] performing her first dive on 27 and 28 March.[13] The submarine was formally delivered to the French Navy in August 2023.[14] In early 2024, Duguay-Trouin deployed to the Caribbean as part of her ongoing trials[15] and was declared fully operational in April 2024. The third submarine in the class, Tourville, began her sea trials in July 2024[16] and was delivered in November 2024.[17]
Barracudas will integrate technology from the Triomphant class, including pump-jet propulsion. This class reportedly produces approximately 1/1000 of the detectable noise of the Redoutable-class boats, and they are ten times more sensitive in detecting other submarines.[18] They will be fitted with torpedo tube-launched MdCN cruise missiles for long-range (well above 1,000 km; 620 mi) strikes against strategic land targets. Their missions will include anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, land attack, intelligence gathering, crisis management and special operations.
The Barracuda class nuclear reactor incorporates several improvements over that of the preceding Rubis. Notably, it extends the time between refueling and complex overhauls (RCOHs) from 7 to 10 years, enabling higher at-sea availability.
In support of special operations missions, the Barracuda can also accommodate up to 15 Commandos Marine. It integrates a removable dry deck shelter aft of the sail able to embark the commandos' new generation PSM3G Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (ECA Special Warfare Underwater Vehicle).[3]
Designed by Naval Group and TechnicAtome, the Barracuda integrates the following systems:
| Combat management and Information Systems |
| Naval Group SYCOBS combat management system |
| Radars, Electronic Support Measures and Sonars |
| Thales UMS-3000 hull and flank array sonar suite |
| Thales ETBF DSUV 62C towed array sonar |
| Thales SEACLEAR mine and obstacle avoidance sonar |
| Thales VELOX-M8 broadband sonar interceptor |
| Thales NUSS-2F Mk2 navigation echo sounder |
| Safran Series 10 CSR navigation radar |
| Safran SIGMA 40 XP gyrolaser navigation systems |
| Safran Series 30 AOM attack optronic mast featuring an RESM module |
| Safran Series 30 SOM search optronic mast featuring an RESM module |
| Decoys, Countermeasures and jammers |
| Naval Group NEMESIS electronic countermeasure system with CANTO-S decoys and automatic evasive manoeuvres (confusion/dilution principle) |
| Communications |
| Thales PARTNER communications management system |
| Thales DIVESAT communications satellite mast with Syracuse satellite link |
| Link 11, Link 16 and Link 22 data links |
| Thales TUUM-5 MK2 distressed submarine (DISSUB) communication system |
| 4 tubes and 20 weapon racks for: |
| F21 Artémis heavyweight torpedoes |
| MdCN land-attack missiles |
| Exocet SM39 mod2 anti-ship missiles |
| FG29 multi-influence mines |
| D-19 UUV |
| 1 TechnicAtome K15 nuclear reactor (150 MW) |
| 2 turbo-generators (10 MW each) |
| 2 SEMPT Pielstick emergency diesel generators (480 kW each) |
| 1 propeller pump (hydrojet) |
Note: The Antenne Linéaire Remorquée à technologie Optique (ALRO) under development by Thales for the SNLE 3G is expected to replace the ETBF DSUV 62C towed array sonar on the Barracuda-class submarines. The Exocet SM39 submarine-launched anti-ship missile was initially expected to be replaced via the FMAN/FMC led by MBDA. However, the programme is no longer expected to produce any missile capable of being launched from submarines as their dimensions will not be compatible with torpedo tubes. MBDA is therefore pitching its Exocet SM40 under development as a successor to the SM39 post-2030.[19][20]
| Pennant no. | Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Full operational capability | Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S635[21] | Suffren | 19 December 2007[22] | 12 July 2019[23] | 6 November 2020[2] | 3 June 2022[24] | Toulon |
| S636 | Duguay-Trouin | June 2009[22] | 9 September 2022[25][26] | 28 July 2023[27] | 4 April 2024[28] | |
| S637[29] | Tourville[30][31] | 2011[22] | Summer 2023[32][33] | 16 November 2024[34] | 2025 | |
| TBC | De Grasse[35][36] | 2014[30] | 2025 | 2026[37] | 2026/27 | |
| TBC | Rubis[35][36] | 2019 | 2027 | 2028[37] | 2028/29 | |
| TBC | Casabianca[35][36][38] | 2020[38][39] | 2028 | 2029/2030[40][37] | 2030/31 |
Australia
Naval Group submitted a conventionally powered diesel-electric variation to the design – named the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A, a derivative of the SMX Ocean concept – to the competitive evaluation process (CEP) phase of Australia's Collins-class submarine replacement. "While exact details remain confidential, DCNS can confirm the Shortfin Barracuda is over 90 metres (300 ft) in length and displaces more than 4,000 tons when dived," said Sean Costello, CEO of Naval Group Australia.[41] Naval Group was chosen by the Australian Government on 26 April 2016 to build twelve of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A variant at a projected AU$50 billion (US$37.6 billion). Much of the works were to be undertaken at ASC Pty Ltd in Adelaide, South Australia.[42][43] Construction was expected to begin in 2023.[44] The class would have been known as the Attack-class submarine with the first vessel named HMAS Attack.
On 16 September 2021, Australia cancelled the Attack-class project and entered into a partnership with the United States and United Kingdom to obtain nuclear submarine technology (SSN-AUKUS).[45] The reactors run on weapons-grade uranium, are sealed and last for the thirty three years.[46] The ones France uses, on the other hand, have to be serviced every ten years since it switched from weapons-grade to low-enriched uranium (LEU) to fuel its nuclear-powered submarines from the Rubis class onward; this therefore requires a domestic nuclear industry, which Australia lacks.
Netherlands
The Shortfin Barracuda class was proposed by Naval Group to the Royal Netherlands Navy as one of the three competitors in the Walrus-class replacement program. The design was competing against the Saab A26 submarine and the TKMS Type 212 submarine. On 15 March 2024 State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat announced that Naval Group had been selected as the winning bid. The boats will be known as the Orka class, with the first two planned to be delivered within ten years of the contract signing.[47][48][49]
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