French Naval Group nuclear attack submarine (SSN) replacing the Rubis class: 5,300 t submerged, K15 reactor with pump-jet propulsion, armed with F21 torpedoes and MdCN cruise missiles.
| Subtype | Nuclear-powered attack submarine |
| Displacement | 4765 tons |
| Displacement submerged | 5300 tons |
| Crew | 60 members |
| Width | 8.8 m (28.9 ft) |
| Length | 99.5 m (326.4 ft) |
| Max. depth | 350 m (1148.3 ft) |
| Propulsion | 1 x K15 pressurised-water reactor, 150 MW; 2 turbo-generators; pump-jet propulsion |
| Range | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Endurance | 70 days |
| Maximum speed | 14 knots |
| Max. speed submerged | 25 knots |
4 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes with 20 reloads for: F21 Artemis heavyweight torpedoes, MdCN land-attack cruise missiles (range over 1,000 km), Exocet SM39 Mod2 anti-ship missiles, and FG29 multi-influence mines. Can embark up to 15 special-forces commandos via a removable dry deck shelter with the PSM3G swimmer delivery vehicle.
The Suffren class, known by its programme name Barracuda, is a class of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) designed and built by Naval Group for the French Navy to replace the ageing Rubis class. Six boats were ordered in December 2006 for an initial programme cost of about 7.9 billion euros, later assessed at roughly 10.4 billion euros, or about 1.7 billion euros per unit, with the nuclear reactors supplied by TechnicAtome.
Construction began in 2007 and the lead boat, Suffren, was commissioned on 6 November 2020 and declared fully operational in June 2022. She was followed by Duguay-Trouin (delivered 2023), Tourville (2024) and De Grasse (2026). The final two boats, Rubis and Casabianca, are under construction, and an accelerated build schedule is expected to bring the whole class into service by around 2029. All six submarines are homeported at Toulon.
Displacing 5,300 tonnes submerged, the class inherits technology from the Triomphant-class ballistic-missile boats, including pump-jet propulsion driven by a 150 MW K15 pressurised-water reactor that only requires refuelling every ten years. Weapons are carried through four 533 mm torpedo tubes with 20 reloads: F21 Artemis heavyweight torpedoes, MdCN land-attack cruise missiles able to strike targets beyond 1,000 km, and Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles. The boats can also embark up to 15 special-forces commandos with a removable dry deck shelter, supporting anti-surface, anti-submarine, land-attack, intelligence-gathering and special-operations missions.
Naval Group handed over the nuclear-powered attack submarine De Grasse to the French defense procurement agency and the French Navy at Cherbourg on June 24, 2026, the fourth of six Suffren-class boats built under the Barracuda program to replace the Rubis class.