This is a milestone event in the progress of the Barracuda programme for the French Navy. The first sea trials are scheduled for early 2020.
The submarine Suffren is the first of the Barracuda series. The DGA is overall project owner of the programme, initiated in 1998. The submarine construction contract was confided to Naval Group, with the CEA exercising authority for the nuclear reactor. All of the group’s many trades were called upon to design and build Suffren – a task that has mobilised 8 Naval Group sites and over 800 French firms. In total, more than 10,000 men and women contributed their skills to producing one of the most complex industrial objects in the world, with the goal of providing the French Navy with a new generation of nuclear-powered attack submarines, offering extended operational capabilities.
You can follow the ceremony live on our YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts.