France Launches New Gen Suffren

French naval defence and marine renewable energy company Naval Group launched the Suffren, the first of six nuclear submarines of the latest generation in Cherbourg, in a  ceremony presided over by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macro.

The industrial group said in a press note that this event is a key step for the Barracuda program for the benefit of the French Navy.

The Suffren is the first of the Barracuda-class series, designed to replace the Rubis-class generation. Naval Group is in charge of the construction of this submarines series, including the design and construction of the ship and information systems as well as the manufacturing of the main components of nuclear boiler rooms.

Hervé Guillou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naval Group, said: “We are proud to have presented to the President of the French Republic the first submarine of the Barracuda-class, a symbol of our exceptional know-how and our ability to master the most advanced technologies and the most complex products."

He said that the construction of the Suffren is a collective success, the result of a strong cooperation with our long-standing partners: the French Navy and the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), but also the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), TechnicAtome and all the manufacturers of the sector.

"Now, we are all focused on finalizing the Suffren tests at the shipyard, with the start-up of the nuclear boiler room in the coming weeks, but also on producing the complete series. Maintaining our knowledge and adapting to new technologies are among our main priorities,” Guillou added.

All the skills within the group are called upon to design and produce the Suffren and the following of the Barracuda series. All Naval Group sites are simultaneously mobilized. Nantes-Indret, Angoulême-Ruelle, Brest and Lorient design and produce different systems and modules.