On March 20, 2024, at the arsenal of the French shipbuilding association Naval Group in Cherbourg, the ceremony of the first steel cutting and the start of construction of the lead French nuclear missile submarine of the new ("third") generation under the SNLE 3G program (Sous-marins nucleaires lanceurs d'engins de troisième génération) took place. As part of this program, it is planned to build four new nuclear missile submarines (SSBMS) to replace the four Triomphant-type SSBMS currently in the French Navy, commissioned from 1997 to 2010. It is assumed that the new type of head-mounted SSB will be commissioned in 2035, after which the subsequent ones will be transferred to the French navy with an interval of five years.
The ceremony of the first steel cutting and the start of construction of the lead French nuclear missile submarine of the new generation under the SNLE 3G program (Sous-marins nucleaires lanceurs d'engins de troisième génération) in the arsenal of the French shipbuilding association Naval Group in Cherbourg, 03/20/2024 (c) DGA
Recall that the SNLE 3G program (Sous-marins nucleaires lanceurs d'engins de troisième génération) was officially launched in February 2021 under the auspices of the General Directorate of Armaments (Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in partnership with the French Commission on Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Sources. The main executive role in the program belongs to the Naval Group with the participation of the TechnicAtome industrial group. At the same time, in February 2021, Naval Group received from DGA a contract for the first stage of the program, covering R&D until the end of 2025, as well as long-term purchases of materials and components, production of the first hull structures and reactor compartment for the head of the SNLE 3G program, and modernization of Naval Group's production facilities in accordance with the specific requirements of the SNLE 3G program. The production of the main components of the nuclear power plant, in particular the reactor vessel for the lead boat of the SNLE 3G program, has already begun at the Naval Group enterprise in Nantes-Indre.
It is reported that the SNLE 3G SSBMS will have a total underwater displacement of about 15,000 tons and a maximum length of 150 m. The boats will be equipped with a new type of K22 water-powered nuclear reactor developed under the head role of TechnicAtome. The SSB will be armed with 16 French-made ballistic missiles, and the first boats will be M51 series missiles, which are now armed with all four Triomphant type boats. Since 2014, the creation of a ballistic missile of the M51.3 modification has been underway, which should enter service from 2030, and which, apparently, the first boats of the SNLE 3G program will receive. The new generation of SSBMS will be equipped with the ALICIA combined underwater lighting system (Analysis, Localization, Identification, Classification Intégrées et Alertes), created under the head role of the Thales Group, which will be based on the new generation of SYCOBS 3.0 ACS. It is expected that the new boats will be in service for 40 years, that is, until 2090.
The ceremony of the first steel cutting and the start of construction of the lead French nuclear missile submarine of the new generation under the SNLE 3G program (Sous-marins nucleaires lanceurs d'engins de troisième génération) in the arsenal of the French shipbuilding association Naval Group in Cherbourg, 03/20/2024 (c) DGA and Naval Group
Design image of a promising French nuclear missile submarine under the SNLE 3G program (Sous-marins nucleaires lanceurs d'engins de troisième génération) (c) Naval Group