Barracuda-class submarine (France)

For other ships of the same name, see Barracuda-class submarine.

Barracuda-class submarine (France)
Profile of the Barracuda-class submarine.
Class overview
Name:	Barracuda class
Builders:	Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS and DCN)
Operators:	French Navy
Preceded by:	Rubis class
Cost:	€9.9bn (FY2013) for six units €1,300m (FY2013) per unit
Built:	Since 2007
In commission:	2020, planned (originally 2017)
Building:	2
Planned:	6
Completed:	1
General characteristics
Type:	Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement:	4,765 t surfaced 5,300 t submerged
Length:	99.5 m (326 ft)
Beam:	8.8 m (29 ft)
Draught:	7.3 m (24 ft)
Propulsion:	2 x turboreductors groups: 10 MW (13,000 hp) propulsion alternator feeding electric engines Nuclear reactor K15, 150 MW (200,000 hp) 2 x emergency electric engines 1 x pump-jet
Speed:	Over 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph) 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph), surfaced
Range:	Unlimited range, 10 years (nuclear fuel)
Endurance:	70 days of food
Complement:	12 officers 48 petty officers
Sensors and processing systems:	Hull and flank sonar Thales UMS-3000 SYCOBS SEACLEAR Velox-M8
Armament:	4 × 533 mm (21.0 in) tubes 20 storage racks, including MDCN SCALP Naval missiles Exocet SM39 Block2 missiles F21 Artemis heavy torpedoes FG29 mines

The Barracuda class (or Suffren class) is a nuclear attack submarine, designed by the French shipbuilder Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS and DCN) for the French Navy. It is intended to replace the Rubis-class submarines. Construction began in 2007 and the first unit will be commissioned in 2020.

History

In October 1998, the Delegation Générale pour l'Armement, the French government's defense procurement agency, established an integrated project team consisting of the Naval Staff, DCN (now known as Naval Group), Technicatome and the Commissariat a l'Énergie Atomique, a regulatory body that oversees nuclear power plants, to oversee the design of a new attack submarine class. DCN was to be the boat's designer and builder while Technicatome (since acquired by Areva) was to be responsible for the nuclear power plant. The two companies were to act jointly as a single prime contractor to share the industrial risks, manage the schedules, and be responsible for the design's performance and costs, which at the time was estimated to be US$4.9 billion.

On 22 December 2006, the French government placed a €7.9 billion order for six Barracuda submarines with Naval Group and their nuclear power plants with Areva-Technicatome. According to the DGA “Competition at the subcontractor level will be open to foreign companies for the first time.” According to the contract, the first boat was to commence sea trials in early 2016, with delivery occurring in late 2016/early 2017. This was to be followed by entry into service in late 2017.

Naval Group also designed a conventionally powered derivative, dubbed the SMX-Ocean, featuring fuel cells and vertical launchers. Another conventionally powered design, the Shortfin Barracuda, was selected as a future replacement for the Collins-class vessels with the Royal Australian Navy.

In 2016, Naval Group also began to position itself and its Shortfin Barracuda design to the Royal Canadian Navy's Future Canadian Submarines project. The project is planned to replace the Victoria-class submarines by 2030.

Naval Group is also offering a version of the "Shortfin" diesel-electric variant as replacement for the current Walrus-class submarines of the Royal Netherlands Navy competing against the A26 design by Saab and Damen

Description

Barracudas will use technology from the Triomphant class, including pump-jet propulsion. This class reportedly produces approximately 1/1000 of the detectable noise of the Redoutable-class boats (submarines), and they are ten times more sensitive in detecting other submarines. They will be fitted with torpedo-tube-launched cruise missiles MDCN SCALP Naval for long-range (well above 1,000 km, 620 mi) strikes against strategic land targets. Their missions will include anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, land attack, intelligence gathering, crisis management and special operations.

The Barracuda class nuclear reactor incorporates several improvements over that of the preceding Rubis. Notably, it extends the time between refueling and complex overhauls (RCOHs) from 7 to 10 years, enabling higher at-sea availability.

In support of special operations missions, Barracudas may also accommodate up to 12 commandos, while carrying their equipment in a mobile pod attached aft of the sail.

Specifications

Designed by Naval Group and TechnicAtome, this submarine will have the following main general features:

• Stealthiness.
• Hull sonar, flank antennas, towed antenna, mine avoidance sonar designed by Thales.
• SYCOBS combat system.
• Non-penetrating optronic mast in the thick hull designed by Sagem Défense Sécurité.
• Nemesis countermeasures, based on Naval Group's Contralto system, which applies a "confusion / dilution" principle and combines evasive maneuvers with the deployment of new Canto-S decoys that have been integrated on the Rubis since 2014.
• Weaponry: 20 weapons in rack, plus 4 in tubes, with a mix of heavy torpedo torpedo F21, underwater-launched Exocet SM39 Block2 Mod2 anti-ship missiles of 50 km range, naval cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 km and mines FG29 - two per standard location - anti-aircraft missiles (Mica missiles / Naval Group A3SM concept) implemented through the same vehicle as the SM39 when fired by torpedo tubes or other systems).
• K15 nuclear propulsion system designed by TechnicAtome.
• Autonomy:
  • 10 years of operation (nuclear).
  • 70 days of food.
• Third generation submarine propulsion (PSM3G) carrying capacity, special operations mini-submarine.

Boats

Pennant no.	Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
Q284	Suffren	19 December 2007	12 July 2019	Expected in 2020	Toulon
Template:Dm	Duguay-Trouin	26 June 2009	Template:Dm	Expected by 2025	Toulon
Template:Dm	Tourville	28 June 2011	Template:Dm	Expected by 2025	Toulon
Template:Dm	De Grasse	Template:Dm	Template:Dm	Expected by 2025	Toulon
Template:Dm	Rubis	Template:Dm	Template:Dm	Expected by 2030	Toulon
Template:Dm	Casabianca	Template:Dm	Template:Dm	Expected by 2030	Toulon

Shortfin Barracuda conventional variant

Barracuda-class submarine (France)
File:Shortfin Barracuda.svg Profile of the Shortfin Barracuda conventional variant.
Class overview
Name:	Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A
Builders:	Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS and DCN)
Operators:	Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by:	Collins class
Cost:	AU$50 billion (US$NaN) for twelve units AU$4.2billion per unit
In commission:	Approx. 2030–2070 (planned)
Building:	0
Planned:	12
Completed:	0
General characteristics
Type:	Diesel-electric attack submarine
Displacement:	over 4,000 t submerged
Length:	97 m (318 ft)
Propulsion:	1 x 7 MW (9,400 hp) permanent magnet motor 4 x diesel alternators
Range:	18,000 nm
Endurance:	90 days submerged
Complement:	60 crew 12 clearance divers
Armament:	8 x 533mm torpedo tubes Payload: 28 torpedoes mix of: Mk 48 torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles or Mk III Stonefish mines

Naval Group submitted a conventionally powered diesel-electric variation to the design – named the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A – to the competitive evaluation process (CEP) phase of Australia's Collins-class submarine replacement. "While exact details remain confidential, DCNS can confirm the Shortfin Barracuda is over 90 metres in length and displaces more than 4,000 tons when dived," said Sean Costello, CEO of Naval Group Australia. Naval Group was chosen by the Australian Government on 26 April 2016 to build twelve of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A variant at a projected AU$50 billion (US$NaN). Much of the works will be undertaken at ASC Pty Ltd in Adelaide, South Australia. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 or 2021.

The class will be known as the Attack-class submarine with the first vessel named HMAS Attack.

See also

• List of submarines of France
• Submarine forces (France)
• Future of the French Navy
• Cruise missile submarine
• Attack submarine

External links

• DCN official site at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-02-29)
• France unveils plans for new Barracuda SSNs at the Library of Congress (archived 2006-03-30)
• France’s Future SSNs: The Barracuda Class at Defense Industry Daily.