SNLE-3G: France's Next Generation SSBN Submarine Begins Construction

France's future class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), known as SNLE-3G, began construction in March 2024, when Naval Group cut steel on the first of four boats, at the submarine shipyard in Cherbourg, Normandy. In this interview, Anne Bianchi, SNLE-3G program director at Naval Group, discusses the important milestone and shares some details about the four next generation submarines which will ensure the French sea-based nuclear deterrent until the 2080ies.
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At first glance the new submarine is similar in size and form to the current Le Triomphant-class. But it is an entirely new design and is actually almost 10 meters (30 ft) longer (about 150 meters in length, 15,000+ tons displacement submerged, but official figures are still classified). The crew complement (110 sailors), number of SLBM silos (16x) and torpedo tubes (4x) will remain unchanged compared to the Le Triomphant-class.
The main driver for this increased size is stealth. The machinery space will be longer to incorporate an even quieter machinery. This may have some technologies already found on France’s latest nuclear submarine, the Suffren-class attack submarine. Outwardly these include the X-form rudders and pumpjet propulsor.
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[@fraserconnell21]

She was nice, very courteous too. To do the job she does,she's obviously really clever. An asset to Naval group and vive le France 🫡👍🏼.

[@dutch6390]

Naval Group !!! 💪 🇫🇷 👍

[@Andre-yu3qs]

In general, the French know how to make good submarines!

[@mielpops4655]

in general france know how to make everything tbh with an amazing quality, just need more budget...

[@Andre-yu3qs]

@@mielpops4655 Are French cars any good?

[@HexaSquirrel]

@@Andre-yu3qsThat is debatable

[@AugmentedGravity]

Now i also wonder what the AUKUS will look like in addition to these three.

[@erkanylmaz5564]

Thanks for video.

[@alex_tahiti]

Super!

[@marcsetmais7598]

The problem with the French and UK nuclear deterrence is that 4 submarines is just not enough. It is impossible to have this number operational at the same time. With two submarines operational and some nuclear capacity on fighters nuclear deterrence might not work very well. Two submarines are easy to detect and the fighter planes are vulnerable and have limited range. A serious nuclear power needs bigger numbers and a more various capacity. But that’s not feasible for the UK or France. The EU as a whole could do this but I don’t see that happen: who is going to press the button (although I hope that will never happen)? Still I think that both countries should stick to their nuclear striking capabilities. It’s geopolitically still important and a bit is better than nothing.

[@jenuilmajulus5586]

👍👍👍

[@FLORIDIANMILLIONAIRE]

Fluff what about smx 31 ?

[@alexpishvanov736]

French subs are smaller than American because they have less crew and don't have sauna and fitness club onboard :)

[@Tim.bdt667]

Our sailors are better than yours so they don't need a sauna and we have fitness equipement in the submarine

[@n1k2-ja46]

So the uranium fuel used in the reactor is 20% enriched? How many years will it last without needing to be replaced? 20 years? 30 years?

[@dan7564]

The Aukus reactor for the new British submarine is 90/95% enriched and that's only going to last 30 years, so it's probably more like 7 years like their old reactors.

[@docteurlowbat]

It will be enriched at "un niveau suffisant" and it will last "assez longtemps" ... Es-tu assez stupide pour penser que quelqu'un donnera des informations confidentielles à un inconnu sur Internet ?

[@n1k2-ja46]

@@dan7564 Thank you for letting me know.

[@n1k2-ja46]

@@docteurlowbat The fact that French nuclear submarines operate on nuclear power with uranium enriched to within 20%, the same level as commercial nuclear power, is publicly known and is known to any military geek. How is that classified information? Incidentally, the enrichment level of uranium fuel in a small nuclear reactor recently developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has not been made public (it is commercial, so it is within 20%), but the operating life is 25 years. It is believed that it can be operated with almost no refueling.

[@frogfichtrlustr369]

Dosen't really matter since subs will always need major mid life maintenance refit, they change the fuel when in dry dock, where and when they would be anyway

[@dohnjoe8828]

As France currently behaves, there is no need to develop future SSBN; this implies, there is a future to plan for.

[@adrien5834]

Now that's funny, Z-bot. There's a name for what you are doing, it's called projection. By the way, why do you and your comrades all use Anglo sounding handles? No one is likely to think that you are actually American considering your posts. Maybe you are ashamed of being Russian? I could see that.

[@Balrog2005]

Uuuuuh... meanwhile in the real world...

[@user-yr3ur1me7r]

France is, behind the US, the country which is implied in the greatest number of military intervention In case of a misformulation i'll also write in french, so you can translate thanks to Google Translate : La France est le pays, derrière les USA, qui est le plus implique actuellement dans des interventions militaires. On a besoin de cet armement pour continuer à peser dans la géopolitique mondiale.

[@dohnjoe8828]

​@@user-yr3ur1me7rEach country should mind it's own business; I'm pretty sure, France, as US too, has enough problems to solve inside its borders, enough people to care of. Of course, when the strategic supply of resources, stolen - sorry, given to them by already poor countries is disrupted, then one must create or sustain conflicts all over the world.

[@adrien5834]

Be careful now, only Putin and his favourite lapdogs may threaten people with his nuclear weapons. You are treading very close to lèse-majesté. You know what happens then, don't you?

[@ChristianSamsel]

They build the submarine for more then 10 years?! Crazy

[@adrien5834]

The goal is to keep the workforce busy all the time. If they built them faster, they'd have to lay off the workforce between boat generations and lose the expertise every time.

[@TheJamesthe13]

Congratulations on the important milestone. I’m a little disturbed that it’s gonna take them more than five years to build a single SSBN. Maybe they might wanna pull their finger out? The triomphant class are not exactly young…

[@ferittuzer4629]

seems it is a small increment

[@lw4076]

too many programs at the same time for Cherbourg...Delay is coming!

[@BravoDelta-rq9rp]

Ze famousse Franch accente known as the "English of French engineers". That English and American can understand...

[@NicoMCH666]

I was thinking it is pretty horrible 🙈 (a bit ashamed of my compatriots 🙈)

[@BravoDelta-rq9rp]

@@NicoMCH666 Don't be ashamed. First, we are French and we have an accent. Like any American has an accent when he speaks French. Secondly, I learnt that this accent is an especially "working" accent for French when they work with English or American partners. Because this is the only way to be understood by American and English. The frequency of our native language, makes us speaking english as a incomprehensible "salad" when we try to get an "Atlantic" accent and try to explain very technic things in English. This is the famous "Anglais des ingénieurs".

[@chris6770]

Who builds France's ICBMs? LM build/lease the UK's, so not really independent.

[@Spartadop]

ArianeGroup (owned by Airbus and Safran)

[@RogerPalmer-pi9yb]

The British SSBNs use a common pool of missiles. Once they are on British sub with British launch authority how are they not independent.

[@andreactuel7209]

@@RogerPalmer-pi9ybThey have a certain in dependance, but depending on a forein country for the technology of balistique missile is a loss of sovereignty. If tomorrow LM (or rather the US) decides to stop maintaining missiles, they will soon become obsolete and unusable.

[@edkrach8891]

France designs and builds their own missiles. The SSBNs are completely under French control. The British and US subs draw from a common missile pool. The UK's missiles are fitted with British warheads, ensuring the UK's control over their own subs.

[@ianmcsherry5254]

There is literally no scenario where Britain might feel compelled to launch nuclear weapons and the US would not also be giving it consideration. That would be in response to an inbound enemy attack, or confirmed threat of same. Britain is never going to unilaterally use these as a first-strike weapon. You might equally argue that our F-35 strike aircraft are at risk of the US witholding vital software upgrades, but that's not going to happen either.

[@alainamoretti7452]

Xavier vas bosser ton anglais ou parles en français mon gars

[@H3x4r35]

Son anglais est très bon justement.