Launch preparations and the trial schedule
France's defense procurement agency, the DGA, announced the start of the transfer in an Oct. 16 statement. Naval News identifies the new submarine as Rubis, pennant number S639.
Defence Industry Europe reports that supports called "marcheurs" are carrying the submarine to the Cachin basin's hydraulic launch system at approximately 30 meters per hour. Armed Forces and Veterans Minister Catherine Vautrin presided over the transfer ceremony alongside DGA head Patrick Pailloux, according to the outlet.
Naval Group Chairman and CEO Pierre Éric Pommellet said the rollout followed the corresponding milestone for De Grasse by just 17 months. In remarks reported by Naval News, he described that interval as evidence of the company's commitment to its customer.
The DGA says work to complete Rubis will continue before launch. Dockside testing will follow, then trials at sea before the Navy takes delivery. Naval News reported at the time of the rollout that the submarine's alpha, or first, sea trials were planned by summer 2027, with delivery expected by the end of that year.
Renewing the attack submarine fleet
Rubis is part of the DGA-managed Barracuda program to renew France's nuclear attack submarine fleet. Four Suffren-class boats have already been handed over. The DGA lists the active-service dates for Suffren, Duguay-Trouin and Tourville as 2022, 2024 and 2025, respectively; De Grasse was delivered in June 2026.
Casabianca, the sixth boat, remains under construction. Its delivery is expected by 2030 under France's 2024-2030 military programming law, according to the DGA. Army Recognition puts the Barracuda program's value at €9.1 billion and dates its beginning to October 1998.
The replacement effort extends across French industry. The DGA says more than 10,000 people and 800 companies participate nationwide, with 3,000 direct jobs mobilized daily, including 800 in subcontracting.
The new class replaces the older Rubis-class submarines, which started entering service in the 1980s. According to Defence Industry Europe, Améthyste is the only boat of that earlier class still serving; it was commissioned in March 1992.
As Casabianca approaches the end of production, the DGA and Naval Group are turning more attention to "Evol SNA," Naval News reports. The roadmap is intended to keep the Suffren class current over the next 30 years. The outlet also reports work on a potential successor class provisionally called "SNA3G," while emphasizing that it is not yet a formal program.
Size, propulsion and weapons
The DGA describes the Suffren-class boats as faster, more versatile and capable of greater endurance, with new abilities to support special forces and attack land targets using naval cruise missiles.
Class specifications published by Naval Group for the lead boat's launch give a length of 99 meters and a diameter of 8.8 meters. Displacement is 4,700 metric tons on the surface and 5,300 metric tons submerged. The listed complement is 65 crew members plus commandos, and the builder says special forces can deploy discreetly while the submarine is underwater.
Naval Group identifies the weapons as naval cruise missiles, F21 heavyweight wire-guided torpedoes and modernized Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles. Army Recognition says the Naval Cruise Missile, or MdCN, can hit fixed targets on land at ranges beyond 1,000 kilometers.
The builder says the pressurized-water reactor derives from those used aboard France's Triomphant-type ballistic missile submarines. Army Recognition identifies it as a K15 producing 150 MW of thermal power, with propulsion provided through a shrouded pump-jet. The same outlet gives the class an endurance of 75 days, compared with 45 days for its Rubis-class predecessors.
The wartime Rubis legacy
The new submarine carries forward the traditions of Rubis (Q145), a World War II minelayer that served with the Free French Forces. The DGA credits that vessel with completing 28 combat missions and laying 683 mines, and notes that it received the Croix de la Libération.
According to Army Recognition, the wartime Rubis sank 22 ships, including 11 German warships. Among its sinkings was the German submarine U-702 on March 31, 1942.
