French Navy had received the first of six Suffren-class
or Barracuda nuclear attack submarines (SSN) from Naval Group as a replacement
for the Cold War-era Rubis-class submarines in Nov last year.
The submarine is expected to be inducted into the French Navy in 2021.
Till then the submarine will undergo operational tests under the ministry of defense.
The undertaking is part of the Barracuda stealth vessel program.
The class is expected to serve as the French submarine forces’ backbone until the 2060s.
According to Defense News,
Vincent Martinot-Lagarde, the company's director of the Barracuda program,
claims the boats are no louder than the "sound of the ocean" or "the noise made by shrimp"
In this video Defense Updates why French Barracuda class nuclear-powered attack submarine will be
scary for Russia & China? Let’s get started.
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The Barracuda class is a nuclear attack submarine class.
The design & Development of the submarines began in 1998.
Suffren is the first of the class.
Suffren and the upcoming vessels of this class will replace France's
first-generation nuclear attack submarines, the Rubis class
The design incorporates several features leveraged from the French Navy's
Triomphant class nuclear ballistic missile submarines like the advanced pump-jet propulsion.
According to the French government,
the total budget for the 6 submarine program is approximately $10.2 billion.
The price is fair when we compare it with submarines being manufactured by other nations.
Suffren has hybrid propulsion- pressurized water reactor derived from the nuclear
boilers of the Le Triomphant-class SSBN and of the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carriers,
two propulsion turbines, two turbine generators, and two electrical motors
The vessels of this class will have a displacement of 5,300 t when submerged
and have a length of 99.5 m or 326 ft.
The submarine has a speed of over 28 mph or
46 km/h and can dive to depths of more than 300 m or 985 feet.
Being nuclear powered it has a practically unlimited range.
It has an integrated sensor system that includes a high-definition camera
as well as a laser rangefinder instead of a traditional periscope mast.
It will have much better sensors and is touted to have detection capability
which is 10 times more when compared to Rubis class.
Naval Group touts the new Barracuda class as very stealthy.
The low signature of the submarine will make sure that it will be hard to detect
and this will enable it to sneak up on enemy submarines and warships.
This aspect was emphasized by Admiral Christophe Prazuck who was at Suffren's launch ceremony said
"This is not just a patrol submarine, It’s a hunter.”
Barracuda class is longer and wider and displaces nearly twice as much when submerged,
compared to Rubis class.
This added internal space will be used to carry more weapons.
Barracuda class has four 533mm torpedo tubes
which are the same as Rubis class but it will have 20 storage racks for torpedoes which is four more.
Several different kinds of weapons can be accommodated in the submarines of this class.
1. For land attack, It is equipped to fire the Storm Shadow, an Anglo-French built
and designed cruise missile which has some stealth features, making it hard to detect.
The missile’s specialized French variant, called SCALP EG, has a range of about 1,000 kilometers,
or just under 625 miles, and can be fired by the Barracuda class.
The long strike envelop enables the submarine to hit targets from a standoff distance.
2. For the Anti Ship role, Exocet SM39 is available which is the submarine-launched
version of the Exocet family. The torpedo tube-launched Exocet SM39 anti-ship
missile is manufactured by MBDA. It features all-weather capability, sea-skimming flight,
solid propellant, and a high kill warhead. The missile has a range of 50 km or 31 miles,
which enables the submarine to go into action while remaining out of enemy detection and weapon
range. Flexibility and versatility are provided thanks to the system’s large launch envelope.
Housed in a water-tight, highly resistant, propelled, and guided underwater vehicle,
the aerial missile is ejected as soon as it breaks the surface, to ensure a very low
culmination altitude. It then rapidly homes into the target at sea-skimming level: it uses an
inertial navigation system followed by autonomous terminal guidance from an active RF seeker.
3. F21 Artemis heavy torpedoes neutralize enemy ships and submarines. It is more agile,
faster, smarter than the F17 it is replacing. The F21 torpedo is the only new heavy torpedo
development in the world. Its characteristics are thought to be significantly superior to all other
heavy torpedoes currently in service. It has an effective firing range of more than 50 km or
31 miles, a top speed of 58 mph or 93 km/h, and can move to a depth of up to 600 m or 2,000 ft.
Barracuda class is also able to carry a small team of 12 special operations forces.
Barracuda class represents a major step forward for France
when it comes to the modernization of its submarine fleet.
Naval Group expects to deliver 3 more of the submarines by 2025 and the last two in 2030.
With the arrival of the Barracuda class,
the French Navy will begin to phase out the 6 Rubis class subs.
French authorities expect the Barracuda class to serve into the 2060s and these 6 submarines
certainly be a major component of the country's submarine capabilities going into the future.
France has sent two Navy ships - Mistral-class LHD 'Tonnerre' and a La Fayette-class frigate
'Surcouf' to the Pacific to take part in joint exercises with Quad countries.
Viewers may note that earlier this month French Defence Minister Florence Parly has announced
that the French nuclear attack submarine SNA Emeraude recently conducted a patrol in the
South China Sea. It is clear that France will not take Chinese hegemonic behavior lying down.
Russian submarine activities have risen many folds in the last few years and
France as an important NATO member is expected to counter it strongly.
Since Barracuda class is one of the most potent in the world. , Russia & China will feel the heat.