The SSN Suffren has completed its first operationnal deployment

The Ministry of the Armed Forces announced that the nuclear attack submarine (SSN) has completed its first operational deployment as part of the French Navy-s aircraft carrier strike group.

On January 4, the Suffren returned to Toulon after spending more than a month with the carrier strike group. Deployed in the Mediterranean, it participated in the ANTARES mission to defend French and European interests. “During the deployment, the Suffren contributed to understanding and anticipating crises in ares of strategic interest […] and helped prepare for future Frence Navay operations in the region “, the Minsitry of the Armed Forces stated in a press release.

As part of the Barracuda program launched in 1998, TechnicAtome designs and builds the nuclear reactors for six nuclear-powered attack submarines, with the Suffren being the first in the series. They are equipped wiht an obboard nuclear reactor offering ever-increasing availability, energy capacity, and nuclear safety. The Suffren was delivered to the Navy in November 2020 and commissioned into active force in June 2022. The nuclear reactor of the second submarine in the series, the Duguay Trouin, was fueled and successfully tested in 2022.

Since its creation, TA has equipped all French Navy ships with nuclear propulsion. It has designed and built 19 onboard reactors. Eleven new-generation reactors are planned for the next 20 years.