July 15, 2019

Dry "Launch" of France's First Barracuda/Suffren SSN - K15 Reactor?

On July 12, 2019 (Naval Group advises) a ceremony, presided over by French President Macron (above), "launched" the first Barracuda named Suffren. Suffren is the first of 6 Barracuda SSNs being built in Cherbourg for the French Navy. The 6 Barracudas will replace the 6 much smaller Rubis class SSNs (operating since 1983).


COMMENT

The "launch" of first of class vessels (including subs) is a highly political act (hence the French President participated). The first is generally "launched" remaining on dry land (wheeled out of its shed for the ceremony - then back in the shed again after the ceremony) not truly launched into the water. This is for a variety of reasons, including: safety, need for continued assemblage inside the sub (including fully installing the reactor). Many other technical issues (eg. electronics software and hardware and weapon systems) would still need resolution. 

First of class submarines typically take between 2 and 5 years from launch till full commissioning/operating in a navy. Commissioning follows all necessary tests and resolution of the many inevitable technical problems - especially the reactor. So Suffren might not be fully commissioned into the French Navy until 2023-24 if major problems are encountered.

ARTICLE

At the Barracuda/Suffren (hereinafter called "SSN") launch ceremony HervĂ© Guillou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Naval Group, thanked all the entities involved in building the SSN, including the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) and
 TechnicAtome

COMMENT

These 2 French naval reactor builders may have resolved the main reason for the program's delay, ie. the development of the miniaturised (for SSN) version of the existing K15 naval reactor (mainly in Cadarache, southeast France (see map)). See Submarine Matters' previous articles on the K15 problem here and, much more detailed, here. The K15 has presumably been fitted into the SSNGuillou said the K15 reactor will first be tested (run critical?) in Cherbourg shipyard "in the coming weeks".   


The long delayed [Suffren was laid down 2007] launch is reassuring for builders of the Australian Attack-class (was the "Shortfin") conventional diesel-electric (SSK) version of the SSN. Reassuring because many of the hydrodynamic efficiency and acoustic stealth characteristics for the SSK must be first tested during the SSN's full scale submerged trials (which may begin 2021-22). Also many of the Naval Group staff (managers, designers and builders) hitherto assigned to SSN development will gradually become available for Australia's SSK development. Although we must keep in mind that many of the Naval Group's SSN staff will now also be reassigned to the new SSBN program (known as 3rd Generation SSBN - known as 3G SNLE (or SNLE 3g)) to replace France's Triomphant SSBNs (operating since 1997).]

ARTICLE - Technical Characteristics
  
The technical characteristics of the Barracuda Suffren-class SSNs, provided by Naval Group's 12 July 2019 Media Release, are:


  • Surface displacement: 4,700 tonnes
  • Diving [submerged] displacement: 5,300 tonnes
  • Length: 99 metres
  • Diameter [beam]: 8.8 metres
  • Armament: naval cruise missiles, F21 heavy-weight wire-guided torpedoes, modernised Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles, [mines, weaponised UUVs and Naval Cruise Missiles (NCM - MdCN) for long range land attack, armed Special Forces - divers using wet or dry diver delivery vehicles/minisubs].
  • Hybrid propulsion: [propulsor-pumpjet with a secret structure, hence shrouded at launch ceremony] and pressurised water reactor derived from the [K15 (150 MW) reactors on board the Triomphant-class SSBNs [see right sidebar] and Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier [right sidebar], two propulsion turbines, two turbo generators and two electric motors
  • Crew: 65 crew members + commandos [Special Forces]
  • Availability: > 270 days per year [K15s need refueling every 7 to 10 years. There is also shorter term and longer term "deep" maintenance for many other parts of the SSNs generally.]

  • YOUTUBE



Above is an excellent (less than 7 minute) Youtube with commentary (1 minute, 3 seconds in) by Xavier Vavasseur, Chief Editor, Naval News. As well as the French President and officials Xavier mentions the presence of the Australian Defence Minister [Senator Linda Reynolds] and Australian military.
---

Pete

5 comments:

  1. for some reason the name 'Suffren' reminds me of the looney tunes character Sylvester the Cat

    raging 'Sufferin' Succotash' owing to the endless delay he experiences in catching Tweety

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi GhalibKabir

    Yours is an apt comparison. A do hope that when the Naval Group managers, designers and workers have transformed the Suffren into a bug-free fully commissioned SSN in 2021-2022?

    AND

    Completed most of the equally time-critical work on France's next generation SSBN in 2032?

    a little effort may be extended to that already signed for and part paid foreign project.

    I speak, of course, about the glacial transformation of the nuclear Barracuda design into the world's largest and most expensive (by far) conventional sub (I think its now called the Attack Class?) being built one day, some day, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2VJflnih-k

    so far from France.

    Cheers

    Pete

    ReplyDelete
  3. Correction for Naval Group's Adelaide tourists and the former Defence Ministerial Adviser who made their win possible.

    That song was "Someday One Day" sung by Australia's Greatest never-quite-made-it group, The Seekers, like submarine selection babes in the wood,

    looking at their reflections by the sea shore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2VJflnih-k

    Cheers to all.

    Pete

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am not a fan of LEU reactors (not very SSN friendly, 7 year fuel replacement cycles very expensive etc.), that said, globally the trend seems to be globally the Chinese are on LEU, the US is seriously considering a LEU shift over time. That leaves the Russian and Indian navies alone on HEU.

    The French could have made an SSN with two older K-48 reactors....I don't know how they bungled this new LEU design so badly considering their considerable experience in this field for over 50 years.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi

    Yes LEU is for countries trying to save money with dual-use nuclear facilities and fuels.

    Do you have links/references for "the US is seriously considering a LEU shift over time".

    I suspect the next generation US Columbia class and UK Dreadnought class SSBNs will be using a US HEU reactor design for the next 50-60 years. So "over time" might be towards the end of this century.

    I think France discarded any idea of 2 x K-48s for Barracuda as France hoped/hopes the new version K-15 for Barracuda will have such advantages over K-48s as:
    - only needing to be refueled every 10 years, rather than 7.
    - Improving the reactor's natural circulation performance and quietness of operation.
    - Reduce time needed for refueling (target 3 months vs. 5 months currently).
    - Improving the human-machine interfaces with the instrumentation, control and protection systems.
    - Reducing the life-cycle costs (construction + operation), and
    - Improving safety and availability.

    see https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2018/11/frances-barracuda-delayed-existing-k15.html

    Regards

    Pete

    ReplyDelete

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