How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Four L'Invincible-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines will replace the four Le Triomphant-class SSBNs. (Photo: Naval Group)
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
France’s third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) programme, SNLE 3G, is entering a critical industrial phase as defence primes and hundreds of smaller suppliers prepare to sustain the country’s sea-based nuclear deterrent for the future.
Launched in 2021, the programme is intended to progressively replace the French Navy’s four Le Triomphant-class submarines, while preserving the industrial skills required for future nuclear programmes for the French Navy.
The first new submarine, named L’Invincible, is scheduled to be launched in 2036 and delivered to the French Navy in 2037, with the following boats planned to enter service at five-year intervals until 2050.
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