Overview
- Naval Group moved Rubis (S639) out of its Cherbourg construction hall and onto the yard’s floating shiplift on Friday, October 16, 2026, in a ceremony attended by France’s armed forces minister.
- Rubis will undergo final outfitting, quayside testing, reactor start‑up and alpha/sea trials with alpha trials targeted for summer 2027 and delivery aimed for the end of 2027.
- Four Suffren‑class boats have already been handed over to the French Navy and the sixth hull, Casabianca (S640), remains in production as the programme targets delivery of all six SSNs by 2030.
- The 99‑metre, ~5,300‑tonne Suffren class uses pump‑jet propulsion and an X‑rudder for stealth and manoeuvre and carries F21 torpedoes, Exocet SM39 anti‑ship missiles and naval cruise missiles plus capacity for special forces operations.
- The programme is led by the DGA and built by Naval Group with reactor work by the CEA and TechnicAtome, employs about 3,000 people including 800 subcontractor staff, and is shifting focus to mid‑life upgrades (Evol SNA) while doing preliminary work on a future SNA3G design.