Naval Group has handed over Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine De Grasse following completion of four months of sea trials.
The 99-metre submersible is the fourth of six such boats destined for the French Navy under the €10.5 billion Barracuda programme managed by the French defence procurement agency the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement).
The nuclear propulsion elements of the attack submarines (SSNs) are provided by TechnicAtome in partnership with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
The first three new French SSNs have already entered active service; first-in-class Suffren was commissioned in June 2022, followed by Duguay-Trouin in April 2024, and Tourville in July last year.
The final two submarines in the programme, Rubis and Casabianca, are already under construction and are scheduled to be delivered before the end of the decade.
De Grasse emerged from Naval Group’s build hall in Cherbourg, Normandy, just over a year ago. Since that date she has undergone dockside trials, the firing of her nuclear reactor in December 2025, and four months of sea trials which started in late February. She is projected to be commissioned next year and achieve full operational capability in 2027.
The submarines displace 5,200 tonnes fully submerged, have a crew of 65, and are capable of more than 23 knots underwater. They are armed with MBDA’s MdCN naval cruise missiles and Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile, and F21 heavyweight torpedoes.
- You can read more details on the Naval Group website