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2023-04-01

Naval Group’s SSN Duguay-Trouin Begins Sea Trials

The SSN Duguay-Trouin, the second submarine of the Barracuda programme, led by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA) for the nuclear boilers part, began its first sea trials on March 27. The submarine will now go through different trials to test its performances before its delivery, scheduled later this year.

Naval Group is in charge of the production of these submarines, from their design to their construction, as well as of the main components of the nuclear boilers which are developed and produced with TechnicAome. Naval Group is also in charge of providing logistical support and maintaining the submarines in Toulon. This programme intends to replace the Ruby-class nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) currently in service within the French Navy.

The 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.

Barracuda Series

The Barracuda series is well underway: the remaining four submarines in the programme (Tourville, de Grasse, Rubis and Casabianca) are 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 programme 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, explained: “The Barracuda series is at the heart of our industrial strategy for submarines. It mobilises 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 unrivalled defence tool with a high level of industrial autonomy, to support France’s sovereignty.”

Exceptional Skills

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

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

Many years were necessary to study the feasibility of the project and lead to the definition of a submarine that meets the operational need of this particularly ambitious project on the technological and military levels.

Since the launch of the project, nearly 10,000 people from the programme management and industrial subcontracting chain have worked for the Barracuda programme. A total of 2,500 men and women (including about 800 from Naval Group subcontractors) are currently working on the Barracuda series.

Since 2015, between 400 and 600 people have been working full-time on the production of the Duguay-Trouin. This represents a total of 13 years of work or 7.5 million hours.

Faster and Further

The Barracuda is the submarine of the 21st century, designed to meet the operational needs of the current and future navy. It features extensive operational capabilities and the latest technologies. More versatile and better armed than its predecessors, the Suffren type SSN will go faster and further. It is designed to control all types of marine spaces, from the high seas to coastal areas.

This submarine is equipped with a nuclear propulsion system which offers a remarkable action range and discretion. It features communication means allowing its integration within a naval force.

The Suffren type SSN is one of the world’s stealthiest submarines. This discretion, combined with her advanced detection capabilities, guarantees her acoustic superiority. More discreet, with increased autonomy and better capacities, these submarines are also more manoeuvrable and mobile thanks to their latest generation navigation and communication systems, including a centralised and more automated driving.

Another major innovation is the optronic mast, which replaces the telescopic mast, ensuring better visual information collection and sharing among the crew. This feature, combined with advanced detection capabilities, guarantees the superiority of these SSNs in their intelligence missions.

The Barracuda-class submarines will also provide the French Navy with a deep strike capability thanks to MBDA’s naval cruise missiles (NCM). They are equipped with the F21 heavyweight torpedo produced by Naval Group and the SM39 anti-ship missile from MBDA.

These SSNs allow the discreet deployment of Special Forces underwater, in particular thanks to its “divers hatch” and the optional carrying of a dry deck shelter allowing for the deployment of underwater vehicles.

French Know-how

An international player in naval defence and heir to French naval know-how, Naval Group develops innovative solutions to meet the needs of navies. Present throughout the entire life cycle of the ships, the group designs, builds, integrates and maintains submarines and surface ships, as well as their systems and equipment, through to dismantling. It also provides services for shipyards and naval bases.

As a system designer and integrator, the company also provides an integrated cybersecurity architecture from the design phase. Crews benefit from a real-time surveillance capability to independently prevent and manage cyber threats and thus ensure resilience at sea. Faced with the intensification of cyber challenges, Naval Group has created the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a team of high-level engineers whose role is to better understand cyber threats: analyse, respond, anticipate.

Naval Group submarines are known for their stealth, acoustic discretion and superiority in combat. Their scalability is another key feature, and they are all fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and leading digital systems .

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