Nuclear Attack Submarine

France’s nuclear attack submarines are based in the port of Toulon and are used for naval combat, protection of the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, and training purposes. The new-generation NASs are tailored to meet the 21st century’s challenges. 99.5 metres long, displacing 5,300 tonnes submerged, and with a crew of 63 sailors, the Barracuda-class NAS can function independently for up to 70 days.

Equipped with naval cruise missiles with ranges exceeding a thousand kilometres, the NAS can now pose a constant undetectable threat to strategic inland targets. Its intelligence collection capabilities have also been stepped up, with highly accurate optronics masts replacing traditional periscopes.

Apart from its technical performances, the most noticeable innovation is the presence of female personnel. A necessity at a time when the sector is having a hard time recruiting! A problem probably due to the cramped conditions and lack of privacy that still pertain, even though various measures have been taken to improve the crew’s everyday lives, including more showers, larger bunks and fewer people in each berthing, and more storage space.