Barracuda / Suffren (class)

Barracuda / Suffren (Class) Story

The modern French Navy relies on two different types of nuclear-powered submarines for its underwater needs, the Triumph-class and the Rubis-class. The former has four ships with a displacement of 14,335 tons and fulfills the important role of ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), while the latter has six standard-built ships with a displacement of 2,660 tons and assumes the role of traditional attack submarine (SSN).

The Rubis class will be replaced by the brand new " "Barracuda" or Suffren (named after the planned lead ship FS Suffren), which will go online with the French Navy in 2019 or 2020.

Back in 1998, French authorities recognized the need for a new, state-of-the-art nuclear-powered attack submarine and gave the green light to find a successor to the aging Rubis-class submarine fleet. The Rubis class was born in the final stages of the Cold War (1947-1991), with the first of six ships commissioned in 1983 (although eight were originally planned).

A total of six ships are said to be in the new Barracuda/Suffren class, three of which are already under construction at the time of writing (2019) and three more are planned.

DCNS leads the Barracuda-class program. The planned ships of the series are FS Suffren, FS Duguay-Trouin, FS Tourville, FS Dupetit-Thouars, FS Duquesne and FS De Grasse.

The propulsion scheme is said to include a 50 MW K15 series nuclear reactor rated at 67,000 hp, and 2 turbo reducer kits (13,000 hp), including propulsion generators that drive the electric motors. The plan will also include a single pump injection and 2 backup electric motors. Underwater speeds are expected to exceed 25 knots (once surfaced, the speed will drop to 14 knots) and offer unlimited rangean inherent advantage of the nuclear-powered propulsion concept.

A nuclear reactor can operate continuously for 10 years before refueling, but it has inherent hazards to both the crew and the ship (not to mention the difficulty of recovery/disposal at end-of-life).

The crew will be a 60-man ordinary crew of 12 officers and 48 enlisted men who will receive a 70-day food supply, limiting the actual range/endurance of this new ship. It is also expected to accommodate equipment and Reserve to support French special forces.

Weapons will be centered around 4 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes, supporting the latest French heavy torpedo family, as well as ship/land attack missiles and mines.

The

Barracuda/Suffren class also forms the basis of the "Shortfin Barracuda class", a diesel-electric offshoot that will enter the Royal Australian Navy's inventory around 2030. As detailed elsewhere on this page, the ship inherits many promising features from the nuclear-powered form.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing