From Rubis to Suffren, the French submarine fleet renewal.

After being in service for 35 years, the nuclear attack submarine (SNA) Saphir is the first of six Rubis-class SNAs to be withdrawn from the French Navy by the end of July 2019. This is part of the military programme law 2019-2025 which ensures the renewal of the Rubis-class nuclear attack submarines (SNAs). These SNAs will be replaced by Suffren-class nuclear submarines, of which the first one will be officially launched on July 12 in Cherbourg.

The Emeraude is the fourth (of six) Rubis-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SNA) of the French Navy (Picture Source: French Navy)

SNAs are powerful, enduring and stealth weapons, designed for multiple tasks that include deterrence, protection of the GAN (“Groupe Aéronaval” in French, “Carrier Battle Group” in English), intelligence, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), …

Saphir is the second of six French Rubis-class SNAs. Its construction began in September 1979 in Cherbourg and it was then commissioned in 1984. Since then, Saphir covered 1.2 million nautical miles, spending more than 120.000 hours underwater. It took part in lots of missions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Carribean, and along the coasts of North America and South America.

Currently, the submarine is rejoining Cherbourg where it will be dismantled. Its disarmament will be performed under the direction of the French DGA (“Direction générale de l’armement” in French).

The first submarine of the Suffren-class, dubbed the Suffren, is scheduled to be delivered to the French Navy in 2020. Its official launching ceremony is planned to take place on July 12, 2020, marking the end of its construction period and leading it to its sea trials. Naval Group and Areva-TA are the companies that will perform work on this project, emphasising the importance of French industrial expertise.

Thanks to its Suffren-class SNAs, France will dispose of more enduring, more modern and stealthier submarines than before, among the more efficient of the world. In addition to their usual missions, such submarines will be able to carry out land-attack strikes and will be optimised to accommodate Special Forces and serve as motherships for their operations.