Naval Group has rolled out Rubis (S639), the fifth Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN), transferring the vessel to its shiplift in Cherbourg ahead of sea trials for the French Navy.
Naval Group press release
On 16 October 2026, the fifth submarine of the Barracuda programme has left its construction hall in order to be transferred to the DME floating platform-type shiplift, in the presence of Catherine Vautrin, French minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans. Completion work will continue, along with a series of trials carried out at quayside and then at sea, prior to delivery to the French Navy.
Led by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) in partnership with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA) for the nuclear reactors part, the Barracuda programme aims to replace the six Rubis-class SSNs put into service in the French Navy from the 1980s. The programme includes the delivery of six SSNs by 2030, four of which have already been delivered between November 2020 and June 2026.
“It is with great pride and a deep sense of responsibility that we today transferred the Rubis, the fifth Suffren-class nuclear attack submarine, to its launch platform. This crucial milestone comes just 17 months after that of the nuclear attack submarine De Grasse, a symbol of our commitment to our customers. In an extremely challenging operational environment, manufacturers must rise to the occasion to deliver to sailors the ships they need to carry out their missions. This event is also an opportunity to recognize the integrated teamwork with the DGA, our partners, and the crew—the foundation of our collective success”,
Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group.
The programme calls on the expertise of all Naval Group’s sites, as well as on the industrial facilities of TechnicAtome and numerous partner companies. Naval Group is in charge of the production of these submarines, from their design to their construction, as well as the manufacture of the main components of the nuclear boilers which are developed and produced with TechnicAtome. Naval Group is also in charge of providing logistical support and maintaining the submarines in Toulon.
This programme is the result of the collective work between Naval Group and hundreds of partners of the defence industrial and technological base. A total of 3,000 men and women (including around 800 from Naval Group subcontractors) are contributing to the design and production of these submarines.
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Naval News comments:
The future Suffren-class submarine Rubis (S639) is named in honor of a legendary World War II Free French Saphir-class minelaying submarine of the same name. The word rubis is French for the precious gemstone ruby.
When France fell in 1940, the original Saphir-class Rubis joined General Charles de Gaulle’s Free French Naval Forces (FNFL). Operating out of Dundee, Scotland alongside the British Royal Navy, it became a critical asset in the Atlantic and North Sea. Over the course of the war, the WWII Rubis conducted 28 operational patrols and laid nearly 700 mines. These mines successfully sank or damaged over 20 Axis vessels, including German auxiliary submarine hunters, cargo ships, and minesweepers. Due to its immense contribution to the Allied war effort, General Charles de Gaulle made the Rubis a Companion of the Ordre de la Libération (Order of Liberation) on October 14, 1941.
Rubis (S639) is set to conduct alpha trials by the Summer of 2027 and is expect to be delivered to the French Navy by the end of 2027.
With the final submarine in the class, Casabianca (S640), nearing the end of production, the DGA and Naval Group are now increasingly focus on “Evol SNA”: the evolution roadmap for the Suffren-class which will keep these new attack submarines up-to-date over the next 30 years. In addition, Naval News understands that DGA and Naval Group are already working on the next class of French SSNs known for now as “SNA3G” for third generation SSN. However, this is not yet a program.
To learn more about the Suffren-class of attach submarines, check out our exclusive tour aboard the first boat-in-class:
