CHERBOURG, FRANCE, — Naval Group has transferred Rubis (S639), the fifth Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) under France’s Barracuda programme, to a DME floating platform-type shiplift at its Cherbourg facility. The milestone begins the submarine’s final completion phase ahead of dockside checks and sea trials. French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin attended the ceremony.
The Barracuda programme, led by France’s defence procurement agency (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), aims to replace the six ageing Rubis-class submarines that entered service from the 1980s. Four Suffren-class submarines have been delivered between November 2020 and June 2026, with all six scheduled for delivery by 2030.
Naval Group Chairman and CEO Pierre Éric Pommellet said the transfer came 17 months after the corresponding milestone for De Grasse. He highlighted cooperation between Naval Group, the DGA, industrial partners and the submarine’s crew in delivering the vessels required by the French Navy.
Suffren-Class Specifications and Weapons
The Suffren class measures approximately 99.5 metres in length, with a surface displacement of 4,765 tonnes and a submerged displacement of 5,300 tonnes. It uses a 150-megawatt K15 pressurised-water nuclear reactor, combined with turbines, turbo-alternators and electric motors driving a pump-jet propulsor. The submarine can reach speeds of up to 25 knots and has a reported test depth exceeding 350 metres. Its X-shaped rudders and enclosed pump-jet form part of its underwater design.
The submarine has four 533 mm torpedo tubes and can carry a payload of 20 weapons, including F21 Artemis heavyweight torpedoes, Exocet SM39 Mod2 anti-ship missiles, FG29 multi-influence mines and MdCN naval cruise missiles for long-range precision land attacks.
Designed for special operations, the submarine normally carries a crew of 60 and can accommodate up to 15 Commandos Marine. A removable dry deck shelter can be installed behind the sail to deploy swimmer delivery vehicles.
Industrial Cooperation and Historical Name
Naval Group is responsible for the submarines’ design, construction, logistical support and maintenance at the Toulon naval base. TechnicAtome works with the company on the development and production of the main nuclear boiler components. Around 3,000 people, including approximately 800 Naval Group subcontractor personnel, are involved in the programme, which draws on hundreds of companies across France’s defence industrial and technological base.
The submarine is named after the original Rubis, a Saphir-class minelaying submarine that joined General Charles de Gaulle’s Free French Naval Forces after France’s defeat in 1940. Operating from Dundee, Scotland, alongside the Royal Navy, it completed 28 operational patrols and laid nearly 700 mines, sinking or damaging more than 20 Axis vessels. On October 14, 1941, de Gaulle made the submarine a Companion of the Order of Liberation.
Delivery Timeline and Future Plans
According to Naval News, Rubis is expected to begin alpha trials by summer 2027, with delivery to the French Navy planned for the end of 2027. The fourth submarine, De Grasse, was delivered in June 2026 after rolling out in May 2025, completing dockside trials, starting its reactor in December 2025 and conducting a four-month sea-trial campaign beginning in February 2026.
The first three submarines—Suffren, Duguay-Trouin and Tourville—are already in active service. The final boat, Casabianca (S640), is progressing through production at Cherbourg, where its stern section is visible on the production line.
Meanwhile, the DGA and Naval Group are developing the Evol SNA modernisation roadmap to keep the six Suffren-class submarines updated throughout their planned 30-year service lives. Preliminary studies have also begun on France’s proposed third-generation nuclear attack submarine, known as SNA3G, although it has not yet entered a formal procurement programme.
The transfer of Rubis marks another step towards completing the Barracuda programme and renewing the French Navy’s nuclear attack submarine fleet.
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