On 24 February 2026, SSN De Grasse<\/strong>, the fourth Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine<\/strong>, successfully conducted its first sea trial\u2014marking a major milestone ahead of its planned delivery to the French Navy<\/strong> later this year. The trials initiate a comprehensive testing phase to validate performance, safety, and combat systems at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This first deployment follows an extensive dock-testing campaign that began after the submarine\u2019s launch in May 2025 and included the commissioning of its nuclear reactor in December 2025. These preparatory phases, carried out in assembly halls and both dry and flooded docks, verified equipment integration and system readiness prior to open-sea evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The De Grasse milestone reinforces steady progress across the Barracuda program<\/strong>, under which three submarines\u2014SSN Suffren<\/strong> (2022), SSN Duguay-Trouin<\/strong> (2024), and SSN Tourville<\/strong> (2025)\u2014are already in active service. Two additional units, SSN Rubis<\/strong> \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 SSN Casabianca<\/strong>, are currently under construction, with deliveries planned through the end of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Program leadership is provided by the Direction g\u00e9n\u00e9rale de l\u2019armement<\/strong> (DGA), in partnership with the Commissariat \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9nergie atomique et aux \u00e9nergies alternatives<\/strong> (CEA) for nuclear systems. Naval Group<\/strong> oversees end-to-end design, construction, and lifecycle support, including maintenance in Toulon, while nuclear boilers are developed with TechnicAtome<\/strong>. More than 2,500 personnel\u2014among them about 800 subcontractors\u2014are contributing to the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Designed for the demands of modern naval warfare, Barracuda-class SSNs rank among the world\u2019s stealthiest submarines and deliver superior versatility and endurance (over 270 days of availability per year). Their armament includes MBDA<\/strong> naval cruise missiles (NCM) for deep-strike missions, Naval Group<\/strong>\u2019s F21 heavyweight torpedoes, and Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles, alongside enhanced capabilities for discreet Special Forces deployment. With a service life exceeding 30 years, the Barracuda program will anchor France\u2019s submarine forces well beyond 2060.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On 24 February 2026, SSN De Grasse, the fourth Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine, successfully conducted its first sea trial\u2014marking a major milestone ahead of its planned delivery to the French Navy later this year. The trials initiate a comprehensive testing phase to validate performance, safety, and combat systems at sea. This first deployment follows an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-euroatlantic-defence-news"],"yoast_head":"\n