France has received a new nuclear attack submarine. The vessel is fourth in a series of six Barracuda-class submarines. Built in Cherbourg for the French Navy, the Naval Group’s vessel the SSN De Grasse has completed its dockside trials.

The delivery of the SSN De Grasse comes exactly four months after the submarine’s first sea trials.

Naval Group also revealed that the submarine’s delivery marks an important milestone in the Barracuda program for which the first three SSNs have already entered active service (Suffren in June 2022, Duguay-Trouin in April 2024, and Tourville in July 2025).

The final two submarines of the program (Rubis and Casabianca) are currently under construction at various stages of completion, with deliveries scheduled through the end of the decade. 

The company stated that in cooperation with its partners, Naval Group is responsible for the production of this series of submarines, from design to shipbuilding, for manufacturing the main components of the nuclear boilers which are developed and produced with TechnicAtome. Naval Group is also in charge of providing logistical support and maintaining the submarines in Toulon, according to a press release.

The company also stated that this series of six SSNs is part of the Barracuda program led by French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) in partnership with the the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA)) for nuclear boilers, aims to replace the generation of Rubis-class SSNs in service within the French Navy.

The vessel can be equipped with naval cruise missiles (NCM), F21 heavyweight torpedoes, and modernized Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles.

The submarine integrates hybrid propulsion, which uses pressurized water reactor derived from the reactors on board the Triomphant-type SSBN and Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, one propulsion turbine, two turbo generators and two electric motors.

The vessel can remain operational for 270 days and house 65 crew members, according to the company.

The company revealed that the Barracuda-class vessel is extremely silent and stealthy particularly mobile, with great endurance. It can deter enemies in all areas of warfare, support for deterrence, deep strikes, monitoring wide areas, deployment with a naval aircraft force, cooperation within coalitions and special operations.

The Barracuda class is considered one of the most advanced attack submarine designs in Europe, combining stealth, long endurance, and the ability to strike both ships and land targets with precision.

The Barracuda class is designed to perform a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, land-attack operations, and special forces support. It is armed with F21 heavy torpedo heavyweight torpedoes, Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles, and Naval Cruise Missile cruise missiles capable of striking land targets at long range, in addition to naval mines. The six submarines in the class are Suffren, Duguay-Trouin, Tourville, De Grasse, Rubis, and Casabianca. Combining advanced stealth features, modern sensors, high endurance, and versatile weapon systems, the Barracuda class is regarded as one of the most capable nuclear attack submarine designs in service today.