Nuclear balistic missile submarines program under construction

On Friday, February 19, 2021, Minister of the Armed Forces Florence PARLY announced the launch of the 3rd-generation SSBN program.

This program involves the construction of four third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and their support systems, to replace the “Le Triomphant”-class SNLEs by 2035. TechnicAtome is responsible for the design, construction, and commissioning of the propulsion systems, in partnership with Naval Group, which is responsible for the submarines as a whole.

This program builds on the lineage of the compact reactors installed on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the second-generation SSBNs,ndgeneration SSBNs, and the Barracuda-class SSNs, while incorporating numerous technological innovations to enhance their impact resistance, operational availability, onboard energy capacity, and safety reliability (see reactor room fact sheet). With the successive commissioning of the Barracuda-class submarines, the launch of studies for the next-generation aircraft carrier, and the development of third-generation SSBNs, TechnicAtome’s teams will be managing three major naval nuclear propulsion reactor programs in parallel over the coming decade—a source of immense pride for the company as it serves its clients, the DGA and the CEA.