What is the Tourville, this new nuclear attack submarine which has just been delivered to the Navy?

Its “admission to active service” is planned for 2025. The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) received the Tourvillethird of six Suffren-type nuclear attack submarines (SNA), produced as part of the new generation Barracuda program, the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on Monday. The submarine was immediately transferred to the French Navy. These new buildings are gradually replacing the previous generation Rubis-type SNAs.

“This delivery comes at the end of four months of sea trials, carried out off the coast of Cherbourg, Brest and Lorient, led by the DGA, the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the crew of the French Navy, having made it possible to confirm the robustness and capabilities of the submarine” indicates the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Capable of diving 350 meters deep for 70 days

What is a nuclear attack submarine? Unlike SSBNs (nuclear missile-launching submarines, carriers of nuclear missiles) whose sole mission is nuclear deterrence, SNAs have the role of protecting valuable buildings such as aircraft carriers and SSBNs, and tracking down submarines. -enemy sailors and gather intelligence. While conventional submarines are forced to surface after a few days, nuclear-powered submarines, which are more autonomous, can remain submerged for several weeks, thus preserving their discretion.

“Faster, more durable and more versatile than the SNA of the previous generation, these new submarines represent a technological leap which allows France to remain in the very restricted club of nations which implement modern and efficient SNA” welcomes the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The SNAs of the Barracuda program are thus equipped “with nuclear propulsion which gives them a remarkable range of action and discretion”. They are capable of diving to a depth of 350 meters for 70 days, compared to 45 days for the Rubies. Their maximum diving speed is 27 knots (approximately 50 km/hour). On board, they can accommodate a crew of 65 submariners and submariners.

The first French submarines equipped with naval cruise missiles

With a length of 99 meters (compared to 73.6 meters for the previous generation SNA) and a diameter of 8.8 meters, these black steel behemoths weighing 5,200 tonnes are armed with naval cruise missiles (MdCN), heavy F21 wire-guided torpedoes, and Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile. These new SNAs are the first French submarines equipped with MdCN, missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers allowing the destruction of heavy land infrastructure. With a range of 50 km, the Exocet SM39 is a so-called “change of medium” missile (fired under the sea to propel itself into the air).

These SNA are also capable of carrying special forces, and for this purpose have a removable deck hangar, inside which an underwater thruster for combat swimmers is on board. The SNA is at the same time “a hunter, a bodyguard and an intelligence agent” summarizes the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Replace the Ruby type SNA component

The delivery of Tourville follows that of the SNA Suffren in 2020 and that of Duguay-Trouin in 2023, while the three other submarines in the program, the From Grassethe Ruby and the Casabianca“are all currently under construction at different stages of progress on the Naval Group site in Cherbourg” indicates Naval Group. This series of six SNAs is part of the Barracuda program, the objective of which is to replace by 2030 the component of the Rubis-type SNAs, put into service in the 1980s.

Two Rubis-class submarines currently remain in service, Amethyst et the pearlso much so that the Navy currently only has four operational submarines out of six planned in its specifications.