 Le Téméraire | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Triomphant class |
| Builders | DCNS |
| Operators |  French Navy |
| Preceded by | Redoutable class |
| Succeeded by | SNLE 3G[1] |
| Cost | |
| Built | 1986–2010 |
| In commission | 1997–present |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Active | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 138 m (453 ft) |
| Beam | 12.50 m (41.0 ft) |
| Draught | 10.60 m (34.8 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | Over 25 kn (46 km/h) |
| Range | Unlimited distance; 20–25 years |
| Test depth | Over 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | ARUR 13 |
| Armament | |
TheTriomphant class ofballistic missile submarines of theFrench Navy is the activelead boat class of four boats that entered service in 1997, 1999, 2004, and 2010. These four superseded the olderRedoutable class, and they provide the ocean-based component (theForce océanique stratégique) of France'snuclear deterrent strike force, theForce de dissuasion ('deterrence force'). Their home port isÎle Longue,Roadstead of Brest, Western Brittany.
The first three boats were originally armed with the French-produced and armedM45 intermediate-range missile, and the fourth vessel,Le Terrible, tested and is equipped with the more advancedM51 missile.[5] Each of the first three boats were retrofitted to theM51 missile standard, with the last M45 offloaded in 2016.[9]
In French, these are calledSous-Marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins de Nouvelle Génération'Next Generation Device-Launching Nuclear Submarine' abbreviated as SNLE-NG. They have replaced all of theRedoutable-class boats, with the last of those six boats being decommissioned in 2008. These submarines carry 16submarine-launched ballistic missile launching tubes apiece.
This class reportedly produces approximately 1/1000 of the detectable noise of theRedoutable-class submarines, and they are ten times more sensitive in detecting other submarines.[10] Initially armed with the M45 missile, they are designed to carry the new M51 missile, which entered active service in 2010. As of October 2010[update], an M51 has been test-fired from one of these submarines across the Atlantic Ocean from near France to the west, and is equipped onLe Terrible. In late 2025 it was reported that the M51.3 variant of the missile had entered operational service. The missile is said to have an operational range of 8,000 to 10,000 km, with a speed of Mach 25 also offering improved accuracy and penetration capabilities.[11]
These boats were all constructed by theDCNS, and they carry an armament of 16M45 SLBM orM51 SLBM missiles manufactured by theAérospatiale company (nowArianeGroup), plus conventionaltorpedoes andExocetanti-ship missiles.
The French Navy's goal is to operate a force of four ballistic missile submarines (comparable with theRoyal Navy'sVanguard-class submarines), of which two are expected to be on patrol at any given time.
| Name | Construction began | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Triomphant | 9 June 1986 | 26 March 1994 | 21 March 1997 |
| Le Téméraire | 18 December 1993 | 21 January 1998 | 23 December 1999 |
| Le Vigilant | January 1996 | 19 September 2003 | 26 November 2004 |
| Le Terrible | 24 October 2000 | 21 March 2008 | 20 September 2010[12] |
On 3 February or 4 February 2009,Le Triomphantcollided with theRoyal Navy submarineHMS Vanguard; the Royal Navy boat received damage to the outer casing in the area of the missile compartment on the starboard (right) side and suffered very visible dents and scrapes.[13]Le Triomphant was reported to have proceeded toBrest under her own power, submerged, but with damage to her active sonar dome under her bow.[13]
