Defence in brief: Naval Group delivers third Suffren class SSN

France’s Naval Group has delivered the third of six Suffren class nuclear attack submarines (SSN) to the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), according to a 16th November DGA press release. The new submarine is called Tourville and follows close on the heels of the Duguay-Trouin that was delivered in 2023, and the Suffren delivered in 2020. The remaining three submarines of the class, the De Grasse, the Rubis and the Casabianca, are all under construction and the De Grasse is expected to be delivered to the launch site in 2025. The Tourville was delivered after four months of sea trials and it will now begin operational trials ahead of entering service in 2025. 

The new SSNs were designed to replace the Rubis class under the Barracuda programme with a contract placed in 2006. They are designed to maximise technology developed for other submarines to reduce the noise that they produce, and will be armed with long-range (1,000 km +) cruise missiles to strike at strategic targets on land. They are also built with very sensitive sensors to help detect and locate adversary vessels. The Suffren class is also designed to have longer times between refuels than the Rubis, which should extend the operational availability of the SSNs.