The steel cut for the first French SSBN nuclear submarine (Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear Submarine) recently took place at the Naval Group shipyard in Cherbourg.Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear) of the third generation. This symbolic gesture marks the start of production of the hull of these submarines, which will ensure France’s nuclear deterrent until the end of the 21st century. The SSBNs are intended to be the cornerstone of the French naval force’s nuclear deterrence strategy.
The SNLE 3G program, which was launched in February 2021, brings together the French army, the French Armaments Agency (DGA), the French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) and the Naval Group – together with Technic Atome. Development studies are to be carried out by 2025 and the most important components for the hull and the nuclear boiler room are to be produced. Pierre Éric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group, said at the steel cutting: “With this major program, Naval Group is putting itself fully at the service of French sovereignty and nuclear deterrence by mobilizing all its skills, talents and industrial resources, relying on a solid defense industrial and technological base spread throughout the country.” https://militaeraktuell.at/militaerhundezentrum-waechst-weiter-auf/ More than 400 French companies will work on the SNLE 3G program. The construction of the nuclear submarine requires the integration of nearly 100,000 devices and hundreds of kilometers of cables. Once completed, it will be the largest submarine ever built in France. Compared to their predecessors, the third-generation submarines have made some technological advances. For example, they are even more inconspicuous, have better sonar for detection, are equipped with high-performance weapons and combat systems and offer adaptations to the latest standards for the living conditions of sailors on board. At the same time as the new boats are built, the current SSBNs will also be equipped with some of these capabilities to ensure performance throughout their operational life until 2050.
