New Suffren-class submarine De Grasse is expected to begin her sea trials next year after engineers successfully fired up her nuclear reactor for the first time.
The De Grasse is the fourth attack submarine being produced for the French Navy by Naval Group under the €10.5 billion Barracuda programme.
Her hull was laid down in 2014 and she is projected to be commissioned next year and achieve full operational capability in 2027.
In late May this year the new boat had been transferred to its launching platform at Naval Group’s shipyard in Cherbourg, Normandy and in October the weapons-loading process was initiated.
The first-in-class boat Suffren,was admitted to active service in June 2022, while the Duguay-Trouin and the Tourville followed suit in April 2024 and July 2025, respectively.
Earlier this week Naval Group revealed on social media that the new submarine’s reactor had been fired up for the first time in conjunction with its constructor TechnicAtome, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and overseen by French procurement agency the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement).
The statement noted: “Called “divergence”, this step consists of ensuring that the reactor is properly started and allows the operation of the propulsion to be checked before sea trials.”
President and CEO of TechnicAtome Loic Ricard commented: “The first divergence of a nuclear reactor is one of the most powerful moments for our teams; it represents the culmination of many years’ work and a collective achievement.”
- You can read more details on the TechnicAtome website