The "Suffren," the first of France's nuclear-powered Barracuda-class attack submarines, leaves the workshop at the Naval Group facility in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
Reuters
PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron will unveil on Friday France's latest nuclear-powered "Barracuda" class submarine, a 9 billion euro ($10.13 billion) stealth vessel program Paris says is key to maintaining its naval presence for decades to come.
The French government has placed an order for six of the 5,000-tonne submarines made by Naval Group, in which defense company Thales has a 35% stake.
The "Suffren," first of the nuclear-powered Barracuda-class attack submarines, leaves the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
The French navy expects to take delivery of the first, named "Suffren," for sea trials in 2020 and the remainder will enter service over the following decade, replacing France's aging "Ruby" class submarines.
The "Suffren" leaves the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
The new Barracuda-class subs are expected to displace twice as much as the Ruby class when submerged but also to need 10 fewer sailors than France's older subs.
The "Suffren" at the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Barracuda-class subs will have four 533mm torpedo tubes and 18 to 20 torpedo or missile tubes, able to be armed with torpedoes, naval cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and naval mines.
French navy sub "Suffren" at the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
The land-attack capability provided by sea-launched missiles and ability to deploy special forces while underwater are both new capabilities that the Barracuda-class subs will bring to France's military.
French navy sub "Suffren" at the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
"There is an imperative need for us to be present in conflict zones ... and to be able to pose a threat when necessary," General Francois Lecointre, Chief of the Defense Staff, told CNews on Thursday.
French navy sub "Suffren" at the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
France expects the Barracuda class to remain in service until at least 2060. The Suffren will be presented in her dry dock in Cherbourg.
French navy sub "Suffren" at the Naval Group workshop in Cherbourg, July 5, 2019.
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
(Reporting for Reuters by Cyril Altmeyer; writing by Richard Lough; editing by Gareth Jones)
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