France commissions third Barracuda-class nuclear submarine

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu has commissioned the third Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, SSN Tourville, into active service.

has inaugurated the newly refurbished Missiessy Dock No. 2 in Toulon on 4 July 2025.

The Barracuda-class programme will see the delivery of six nuclear-powered attack submarines by 2030.

The programme aims to replace the Rubis-type SSNs, which were commissioned in the 1980s.

“The Tourville presents prodigious technological and thus operational advances. If one stands out, it is the ability to be deployed twice as long,” Minister Lecornu said.

Works on Tourville started on 28 June 2011, with the first steel cut at Naval Group’s Cherbourg shipyard.

Named after vice admiral Anne Hilarion de Costentin de Tourville, the submarine took its first dive on 17 July, following sea trials that began on 12 July 2024.

Tourville underwent technical adjustments in Cherbourg before being officially handed over to the French Navy on 16 November 2024.

The fourth submarine, De Grasse, rolled out of the construction hall in late May 2025. The first and second vessels are named Suffren and Duguay-Trouin.

The French Navy’s Barracuda-class submarines will be equipped with MBDA’s naval cruise missiles (NCM), granting them deep strike capabilities.

Additionally, these vessels will be armed with the F21 heavyweight torpedo, manufactured by Naval Group, and the SM39 anti-ship missile, also provided by MBDA.

According to Naval Group, approximately 2,500 individuals are involved in the design and production of the Barracuda-class submarines, with around 800 of these contributors working for subcontractors associated with the company.

Additionally, Lecornu presided over the inauguration of the newly constructed Missiessy Dock No 2 (MY02) in Toulon, an infrastructure project designed to house the new Suffren-class SSNs.

“This dock represents an industrial feat and a symbol: that of a living, modernised naval base, capable of supporting the growth of our fleet,” the minister said.

MY02 has been upgraded to accommodate two nuclear attack submarines at the same time, a critical enhancement in anticipation of the fleet’s expansion by 2028.

With a budget allocation of €3bn over 15 years, Barracuda Support Infrastructure Program (ASB PI) encompasses upgrades to docks, utility networks, support buildings, and nuclear safety infrastructure at Toulon.

The ASB PI project is structured into three phases with the first phase already completed and facilitated the arrival of the first two Suffren-class submarines.

The second phase is underway and will continue until 2030; it includes delivering five berths, modernising two maintenance docks (MY01 and MY02), constructing a logistics building, and completely revamping the secret basic nuclear facility (INBS).

The final phase is set to manage major technical shutdowns for the Suffrens.

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