Triomphant class

France's fleet of ballistic-missile submarines and the sea-based leg of its independent nuclear deterrent, each carrying 16 M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Four boats form the class, with continuous at-sea deterrence patrols maintained since the first entered service.

In service since 1997 · 1 operator countries

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

12,640

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 1997. Status: active · ~4 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

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.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.: 16

Stronger than 77% of submarines
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 4

Stronger than 13% of submarines

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 138 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 12,640 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.: 14,200 t
Submerged speed Maximum speed while submerged (submarines). Higher is faster underwater.: 25 kn

Stronger than 73% of submarines
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: 1x K15 nuclear reactor

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 4

Stronger than 39% 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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