New 6 Barracuda-class SSNs for France navy

France to Order Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarines

The French government expects to award a contract for six Barracuda-class, nuclear-powered attack submarines to shipbuilder DCN and Areva SA by year-end, Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said today.

The six submarines will be delivered from 2016 through 2026, Alliot-Marie said at a briefing at the Euronaval naval trade show in Le Bourget, France. DCN Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marie Poimboeuf said earlier this month the order would be worth 8 billion euros ($10 billion). DCN will build the ships and the equipment and Areva will supply the nuclear reactors.

The vessels, which can be used for anti-surface and anti- submarine warfare, as well as intelligence gathering, will replace the French Navy’s Rubis submarines, and will be more “stealthy” –difficult to detect — than the Rubis, said Guillaume Martin de Clausonne, a Navy captain, at the trade event.

“The Barracuda is about twice of the size of the Rubis, which it’s replacing, and will be more stealthy,” said de Clausonne, who is captain of frigates for the French Navy and chief of the Barracuda project for the navy. Intelligence gathering will be a key role, he said.

France’s 36 billion-euro defense-spending plan for 2007 includes 10.4 billion euros for modernizing strategic missiles, transport planes and warships. Alliot-Marie has said the country is one of three in Europe, along with Greece and the U.K., that spends more than 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.

Crew of 60

The Barracuda will be 100 meters (328 feet) long, about the length of a European football field, displace 4,600 tons of water, can dive as much as 350 meters and will displace 4,765 tons of water. It will carry a crew of 60, compared with 80 for the Rubis. The Barracuda is more automated so needs fewer crew members, the navy captain said. The maximum speed is 23 knots.

Subcontractors will include Sagem, part of Safran SA; Thales SA; and European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co.

De Clausonne declined to provide any information about the specifications of the nuclear-powered engine. The vessel will not carry nuclear weapons.

Alliot-Marie reiterated a call for further consolidation of the European naval industry as additional competitors from South Korea and Russia build capacity.

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