Because of the war in Ukraine, France has, for the first time since the Euromissile crisis (1977-1987), upgraded to two or three (depending on the source) the number of SSBNs permanently deployed at sea to ensure French nuclear deterrence. Russia’s Sevmash shipyard, the only one in the country that builds nuclear-powered submarines, saw a record year in 2021. The Suffren can also protect vessels such as the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle or ballistic missile submarines (SSBN). A nuclear propulsion with a 170MW OK-650W reactor powers steam turbines that drives a pump-jet thruster, used for the first time on Russian nuclear-powered submarines. An increasingly contested seabedĪ SSN like the Suffren makes intelligence operations possible and enables France to project power, as in 2021 when another SSN was sent to the Indo-Pacific region for seven months. In addition to these, the Borei-class SSBNs are armed with six 533mm launchers for torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and bottom mines. This equipment allows the Suffren to carry out operations with commandos that the crews of Rubis class submarines could not execute. This capability has been available in other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, but not in France. A SOVIET nuclear submarine wreck has been emitting toxic levels of radiation that is 100,000 times more than normal. The divers can access a thruster in this hatch, making it easier for them to reach a shore. This small removable hangar allows the swimmers to extract themselves more easily from the submarine and no longer go through the torpedo tube. In mid-January, Russia said it had produced its first batch of Poseidon nuclear-capable 'super torpedoes,' destined for use on the Belgorod nuclear submarine.

More on this topic Subscribers only 'Europe has become a 'new hotspot' for rearmament'Īnother new feature is an 'airlock' for combat swimmers. To mark the occasion, Sébastien Lecornu, the new Minister of the Army, came to Brest, where he was given a personal tour of the vessel. Named the Suffren, it is the first of a series of six SSNs designed. It will enable France to make a real military leap in submarine warfare. On Friday, 3 June, France officially commissioned its first next-generation nuclear attack submarine (SSN) in Brest (Brittany). Named the Suffren, it is the first of a series of six SSNs designed to replace by 2030 the Rubis class submarines in service since the 1980s. On Friday, 3 June, France officially commissioned its first next-generation nuclear attack submarine (SSN) in Brest (Brittany). Subscribers only An officer exits the 'Suffren,' the French Navy's new nuclear attack submarine, docked in the Toulon harbor, November 6, 2020. Russia has lost quite a few nuclear submarines over the years.

The 'Suffren,' the first next-generation French nuclear attack submarine, enters into active serviceįaster, stealthier and better armed than its predecessors, this new vessel will enable France to make a important capability leap in terms of underwater combat.īy Elise Vincent Published on June 4, 2022, at 12:56 pm (Paris) Russia lost a Mike-Class submarine in 1989 that is leaking radiation and still has nuclear weapons aboard.

First nuclear submarine russian