Barracuda programme: DCNS completes first hull section of Duguay-Trouin nuclear attack submarine

March 18, 2011 Cherbourg | DCNS

The first hull section of the Duguay-Trouin, the second in class of the Barracuda type nuclear-powered attack submarine, has left the prefabrication hall at DCNS’s Cherbourg centre. This first production milestone was passed on schedule and is highly symbolic, since with the first hull section the submarine begins to take on its physical shape. The Barracuda programme, led by the French defence procurement agency (DGA), calls for delivery of six submarines between 2017 and 2028. The hull section is made of steel alloy. It measures approximately 9 metres in diameter by 4 metres in length and weighs 40 tonnes. Section no. 7 will form part of the aft half of the hull, immediately behind the nuclear reactor compartment and will eventually accommodate the suspended block containing the electrical distribution plant.