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Submarine

France

Naval Group

Suffren class

France's newest class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, replacing the Rubis class with quieter propulsion, cruise-missile strike capability and special-forces support. Built by Naval Group under the Barracuda program, it also formed the basis of Australia's cancelled Attack-class submarine deal.

In service since 2022 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

350

m depth

4,600

crew

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

French export-licensed

CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.

Channel: DGA / direct commercial

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2022. Status: active · ~3 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

Link 16Link 22

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Suffren class can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

F21 Artemis heavyweight torpedo

Exocet SM39 MdCN naval cruise missile FG29 multi-influence naval mines

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).	4 Stronger than 15% of submarines

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Protection specifications
Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.	NEMESIS electronic countermeasures with CANTO-S acoustic decoys

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	99 m

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Nuclear-electric with pump-jet propulsor

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Naval specifications
Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.	4,600 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.	5,300 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.	14 kn Stronger than 23% of submarines
Submerged speed Maximum speed while submerged (submarines). Higher is faster underwater.	24 kn Stronger than 63% of submarines
Endurance Days at sea before resupply. Higher sustains longer deployments.	70 days
Test depth Maximum rated diving depth (submarines). Deeper is harder to detect and engage. Actual crush depth is classified.	350 m Stronger than 63% of submarines
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.	60
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.	1x K15 nuclear reactor

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	Safran Series 10 CSR mast with Sentinel-U radar
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.	Thales UMS-3000 hull and flank array sonar suite, Thales ETBF DSUV 62C towed array sonar, Thales SEACLEAR mine and obstacle avoidance sonar, Safran Series-30AOM/SOM attack and search optronic mast
Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.	Link 11, Link 16, Link 22

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	3 Stronger than 25% of submarines
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 39% of submarines

Specifications compiled from public Naval Group and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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