On October 16, the fifth submarine of the Barracuda programme was transferred to the DME floating platform-type shiplift in the presence of French minister for the armed forces and veterans Catherine Vautrin. The boat will be completed on the shiplift and thereafter will undergo a series of trials, first at the quayside and then at sea, prior to delivery to the French Navy.

Led by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA) for the nuclear boilers part, the Barracuda programme aims to replace the six Rubis-class SSNs put into service in the French Navy from the 1980s. The programme includes the delivery of six SSNs by 2030, four of which have already been delivered between November 2020 and June 2026.

“It is with great pride and a deep sense of responsibility that we today transferred the Rubis, the fifth Suffren-class nuclear attack submarine, to its launch platform. This crucial milestone comes just 17 months after that of the nuclear attack submarine De Grasse, a symbol of our commitment to our customers. In an extremely challenging operational environment, manufacturers must rise to the occasion to deliver to sailors the ships they need to carry out their missions. This event is also an opportunity to recognize the integrated teamwork with the DGA, our partners, and the crew—the foundation of our collective success”, said chairman and CEO of Naval Group, Pierre Éric Pommellet.

The programme calls on the expertise of all Naval Group’s sites, as well as on the industrial facilities of TechnicAtome and numerous partner companies. 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.

This programme is the result of the collective work between Naval Group and hundreds of partners of the defence industrial and technological base. A total of 3,000 men and women (including around 800 from Naval Group subcontractors) are contributing to the design and production of these submarines.