Naval Group has delivered De Grasse, the fourth Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), to the French Navy under the Barracuda program managed by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). The official delivery took place on 24 June 2026, marking another major milestone in France’s naval modernization program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The delivery comes exactly four months after the submarine began its sea trials, reflecting the growing maturity and efficiency of the Barracuda production program. Since leaving its construction hall in Cherbourg in May 2025, De Grasse successfully completed dockside trials, the commissioning of its nuclear propulsion system in December 2025, and an intensive four-month sea trial campaign that commenced on 24 February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Barracuda program has now seen four submarines delivered to the French Navy. The lead boat, Suffren, entered operational service in June 2022, followed by Duguay-Trouin in April 2024 and Tourville in July 2025. Construction of the remaining two submarines, Rubis and Casabianca, is progressing in Cherbourg, with deliveries planned before the end of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Developed under the leadership of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) for the nuclear propulsion systems, the Barracuda program will replace the aging Rubis-class attack submarines and significantly enhance the French Navy’s underwater warfare capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naval Group, together with its industrial partners, is responsible for the complete lifecycle of the submarines, including design, construction, integration of the nuclear propulsion system developed with TechnicAtome, as well as long-term in-service support and maintenance operations based in Toulon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Barracuda-class submarines are designed to conduct a wide spectrum of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence gathering, special operations support, and long-range precision strike missions using Naval Cruise Missiles (NCM). Their advanced stealth, endurance, and combat capabilities make them among the most capable nuclear-powered attack submarines currently in service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technical Characteristics<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The successful delivery of De Grasse further strengthens the French Navy’s strategic underwater capabilities while demonstrating the sustained performance of France’s national submarine industrial base and Naval Group’s expertise in advanced naval warfare systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Naval Group has delivered De Grasse, the fourth Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), to the French Navy under the Barracuda program managed by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). The official delivery took place on 24 June 2026, marking another major milestone in France’s naval modernization program. The delivery comes exactly four months after the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"\u00a9 Naval Group, 2026","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-euroatlantic-defence-news","category-greek-defence-news"],"yoast_head":"\n