New Delhi, March 27

Two years after the delivery of the Suffren, the first Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine, a new milestone has been reached in the production of these SSNs, with the first sea trials of the Duguay-Trouin, on March 27th, 2023. The submarine will now go through different trials to test its performances before its delivery, scheduled later this year.

The Duguay-Trouin is the second submarine of the Barracuda program, led by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA) for the nuclear boilers part. This program intends to replace the Ruby-class SSNs currently in service within the French Navy. 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 series of sea trials follows the divergence of the nuclear reactor which took place in September 2020 and the dock tests carried out since the launch of the submarine in 2021. The operations successively took place in the assembly hall as well as in the dry and water-filled docks to test equipment and systems. These trials were conducted by joint teams from Naval Group, TechnicAtome and French authorities.

The Barracuda series is well underway: the remaining four submarines in the program (Tourville, de Grasse, Rubis and Casabianca) are all currently under construction, at different stages of completion, and their deliveries will be staggered until 2030. With a lifespan of more than 30 years, the Barracuda program commits submarine forces until at least 2060, making it one of the major weapons systems of this century.

Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group said: “The Barracuda series is at the heart of our industrial strategy for submarines. It mobilizes our skills, our know-how, our technological lead, and our ability to constantly evolve and innovate. I would like to highlight the unfailing commitment of the design and production teams at Naval Group and its partners, including TechnicAtome, as well as those at DGA, CEA and the French Navy. The achievement of this new milestone is a demonstration of the expertise of the French naval industry. This success guarantees an unrivaled defense tool with a high level of industrial autonomy, to support France's sovereignty.”

A local and national industrial performance

The production of these submarines gathers a multitude of exceptional skills and expertise, including in the most advanced technological fields. The Barracuda program calls on the skills of all Naval Group sites, as well as on the industrial sites of TechnicAtome and numerous partner companies.

This program is the result of the collective work of hundreds of partners in the French defense industrial and technological base, who have been working with Naval Group for decades.