French SNA or AUKUS SSN?
French Navy SSN Rubis
The recent collapse of the submarine contract with our Australian friends has given grist to the mill of a sport practised by our industrial adversaries and many of my compatriots: the French bashing.
The Australian choice, mainly political, is understandable, even if the way they announced their decision leaves a lot to be desired. But the argument that the initial Franco-American offer was outdated, is ridiculous.
In the 1950s, under General De Gaulle's drive for strategic independence, and with a little help from its allies, France embarked on a gigantic program. Within a generation, it would bring France back to the top of the technological and industrial league and put it on par with Great Britain from a military point of view. The SSN Suffren, the first of its class, which has just entered service in the French Navy, is the most recent symbol of this accomplishment.
The tender published by the Australian government and won by Naval Group was for a diesel electric-powered submarine. The French company Naval Group offered a conventional version of the nuclear Barracuda program of the French Navy but integrated with US-made sonars and combat systems.
The Aukus deal killed the above project, as the Australian government was offered to rejoin future US/UK-led nuclear attack Submarine program.
Would the French Barracuda-type SNA have stood a chance against a derivative of the American SSN Virginia in an unbiased tender? How can you compare attack boats when most of the data is not available?
Today's submarines are arguably the most complex, costly and ultimately, least familiar weapons systems in service. All the major powers have developed their know-how according to their means and strategic priorities. It is essential to review the history of these programs over the last 70 years, in order to have some elements of comparison.
From 1954 onwards, the first generation of nuclear submarines demonstrated their enormous offensive potential against surface vessels. This revolution changed the rules of naval warfare.
688 Los Angeles class SSN
US Navy
Hyman Rickover joined the US Navy's nuclear submarine program in 1946. His unorthodox recruitment and management methods, which he imposed for forty years, enabled the US Navy to build up an unrivalled submarine force by the 1970s.
Between 1955 and 1957, the first nuclear sub, the USS Nautilus, sank escort vessels and aircraft carriers without effort during exercises, due to her unique underwater speed capabilities without the need to recharge its battery. This unparalleled tactical mobility gave the submarine captain a decisive advantage. Veteran Anti Submarine frigates whose tactics defeated U-boats 10 years earlier had no effective answer against such a quick enemy.
They engaged the Nautilus successfully only 3 times out of 5,000 simulated attacks!
The US Navy estimated the nuclear sub survivability to be 100 times greater than that of conventional submarines. This prompted the US Navy to halt all conventional submarine projects for good. However, many shortcomings were to be corrected if these new nuclear boats were to be equally effective against the growing Soviet submarine fleet. Torpedoes needed more speed and a better homing system.
The second-generation SSN Sturgeon represented an enormous leap forward in terms of quality and quantity, produced at a rate of 4 units per year for 9 years. It was the first true multi-role attack submarine. New equipment were introduced: towed sonars enabling detection at much greater distances, high-speed wire-guided torpedoes effective against all types of target, SUBROC anti-submarine missiles designed to be fired close to the surface, to emerge from the water and fly like a missile to close in rapidly and drop a nuclear charge on a target that had no chance of escape. This unstoppable weapon was probably designed to sink a Soviet SSBN caught firing its intercontinental doomsday weapons...
The arrival in 1972 of the famous third-generation SSN 688 Los Angeles, would enable the US Navy to maintain its lead until the end of the Cold War. An unprecedented 62 of these submarines were produced, and in 2022 they still account for more than half of all US Navy submarines.
Quiet, fast and armed with over 35 torpedoes/missiles, the latest models feature 12 vertical tubes for cruise missiles.
It's reasonable to assume that during the 80s, 3 or 4 Los Angeles were on permanent patrol in the North Sea, often aided by Royal Navy and NATO submarines, ready to prevent any deployment of Soviet ships. More than 150 torpedoes and several dozen anti-ship missiles were ready for action, giving nightmares to every Soviet sailor underway.
The Red Banner Northern Fleet
Sierra class third generation nuclear attack sub with a Titanium Hull
In the 1950s, Nato's naval supremacy was indisputable. Soviet leaders therefore chose to invest in a nuclear submarine force, which together with long-range naval aviation, was designed to sink supply convoys in the event of conflict in Europe.
The first generation of Soviet submarines, hastily developed, was not a great success, accumulating numerous manufacturing defects (reactor leaks, etc.) and a lack of attention to crew safety. What's more, the rudimentary training of Soviet sailors was no longer suited to high-tech equipment. In fact, these submarines were more dangerous for their crews than for the enemy.
“How do you recognise a Soviet sailor from the Northern Fleet?” It glows in the dark...
These submarines were so unreliable that they weren't even used during the Cuban crisis.
The commander of one of the 4 Foxtrot diesel submarines (a Soviet evolution of the German type XXI electric boat of WW2) that skilfully evaded the US Navy for several days until her batteries were depleted, was reprimanded by Khrushchev himself for surfacing close to the American fleet. An action the commander had to do to recharge the battery to save his boat. Khrushchev thought the submarines involved were nuclear-powered...
It's worth noting that this naval embargo almost ended in a nuclear exchange with US surface ships, one of the submarine officers, probably exhausted, wanted to fire a nuclear-tipped torpedo at the frigate that had been harassing them for days. World War 3 was avoided by a more cool-headed weapon officer.
The second generation of Russian boat, although still much noisier than Western boats, brought a number of innovations, including powerful compact reactors enabling titanium-hulled submarines to exceed 40 knots and dive to depths of over 1,000 meters, giving them a degree of invulnerability. The first cruise missile submarines also appeared at this time, a game changer in surface warfare.
The third generation, deployed from the early '80s, finally saw submarines with Soviet technology catching up with the West. The Japanese had sold digital tools eventually enabling the Soviets to manufacture silent propellers. Soviet commanders had, at last, the means to match their rivals with their new Sierra, Akula and Victor III. This generation was equipped with fearsome new weapons: missiles comparable to the US-built SUBROC, armed with either nuclear warheads or conventional torpedoes, as well as the huge 650 mm wake-homing torpedo designed to sink aircraft carriers. The most original weapon is undoubtedly the VA-111 Shkval missile, which reaches speeds over 200 knots underwater by creating a gas bubble in front of its nose thus reducing drag.
Some sources also speak of a defence system firing small 324 mm torpedoes to intercept enemy torpedoes.
Unlike the Americans, the Soviets kept on building hundreds of diesel-electric submarines for coastal defence. The Foxtrot Tango and Kilo-classes were widely exported and represented a significant threat to Western ships and submarines as they were very quiet.
Always on the lookout for innovative systems to compensate for their inferiority in sonar technology, the Soviets also commissioned non-acoustic detection systems in the 70s. They are designed to detect the wake of a submarine by sampling various traces they leave behind in the water (radioactive heat, hydrogen, traces of paint, etc.). A Victor Class SNN equipped in this way managed to track an American SSBN in the '80s, a feat the Americans had long thought impossible given their stealth. These systems are present on the latest Akula and Yassen.
The new level of discretion, an unusual feature for Russian productions, surprised many, like the American commander of the USS Bâton Rouge who, in 1992, lost contact with a Sierra SSN he was tracking and ended up being bounced by the latter when the Russian submarine struck him from below with her very strong titanium hull while surfacing. The American submarine suffered serious structural damage. She sailed home but was never repaired. The Russian submarine proudly wears a victory mark on the front of its sail since then.
Was the collision intentional? Who knows...
The Soviets also invented a new class of ships, the Oscar-class Antiship missile submarine cruiser. These 20,000-ton monsters, of which more than 10 were produced, carry not only 28 torpedoes, but also 24 carrier-killers, 7 tons P700 Granit missiles, also available on the Kirov nuclear battlecruiser and Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.
Meanwhile, the first French nuclear attack submarine was commissioned. The 2600 tons SSN Rubis, the smallest attack sub in the world with its 14 torpedoes and missiles, was dwarfed by this Russian monster.
At the end of the Cold War, the Russians will have built 376 nuclear submarines and 300+ conventional Submarine, breaking just about every possible record: size, firepower (Oscar, Typhoon), speed (Alfa, Mike), maximum immersion thanks to titanium hulls (Alfa, Mike and Sierra) and, unfortunately, also the number of accidents, with 20 submarines lost.
Trafalgar class SSN
Britannia, ruler of the deep
After WW2, the Royal Navy did not rule the wave any more, but its privileged partnership with the US helped her to maintain rank and expertise in naval warfare throughout the Cold War.
The agreement negotiated in 1955 by Lord Mountbatten (the ancestor of the Aukus!!) enabled the Royal Navy to save many years of research by grafting the propulsion part of an American SNA onto a made-in-Britain bow to obtain its first SSN.
Between 1960 and 1970, the Royal Navy commissioned a dozen extremely stealthy nuclear attack submarines, thanks to highly innovative solutions developed locally.
When the second-generation Swiftsure was launched in 1971, it was fitted with a pump jet propulsion system to dramatically reduce noise. This technology was so effective that it became standard on French and American submarines in the 90s, 20 years later.
A Swiftsure mission in the second half of the 70s gives a good idea of the level of Her Gracious Majesty's Submarine Service.
During a patrol far north in the 1970s, the Swiftsure detects a new Soviet aircraft carrier, the Kiev. While underway a submarine records the sound signatures of all ships, friend and foe alike, enriching an ever-expanding database of potential targets. To do this, she has to get as close as possible, sometimes listening for days on end, and recording every sound the target makes at different speeds.
The aim is then to share the new target sound profile with all other friendly submarines, to facilitate detection identification and in times of war, its destruction.
Kiev’s propeller underwater view from the RN submarine periscope
For a submarine commander, to be the first to deliver the sound signature file for such an important vessel is a major professional achievement.
It's important to stress that the Kiev is a heavily-armed, anti-submarine vessel, equipped with numerous detection systems and helicopters, and supported by a large number of escort vessels. The British commander was aware that even in peacetime if a NATO submarine was spotted in Soviet waters, they would very likely be on the receiving end of Russian anti-submarine rockets and torpedoes. But undeterred, he will honour the motto of his trade "We come unseen".
He decided to hide his boat 3 meters under the keel of the Kiev. The Swiftsure and his crew stayed there for several hours, filming the hull and propellers with the periscope. It's quite a feat to hide a submarine under a 40,000-ton moving warship! The famous polaroid of Maverick and Goose in an inverted flight over a Mig 28 pales in comparison!
This feat of arms, revealed by the BBC in 2013, gives a good idea of the quality of the equipment and the level of training of British sailors. The Submarine service also ensured that during the Falklands War, the Argentine fleet, kept her distance as they had no effective defence against this threat.
British submarine commanders are all selected during the famous "Perisher course"; a highly realistic exercise during which candidates are pushed beyond their limits, ensuring only the right men are chosen for this unique job.
The 80s saw the arrival of the Trafalgar class, which introduced other innovations to make them even more effective such as anechoic tiles for even greater discretion. Like the Soviets, they also fielded non-conventional detection systems (Soks) and above all the new Spearfish torpedo, capable of speeds of over 60-80 knots to counter ever faster Soviet submarines such as the Alfa, capable of speeds above 40 kts.
In the mid-80s’, the Royal Navy was equipped with some fifteen modern SNAs, which made a major contribution to keeping the Red Fleet under surveillance.
But by sacrificing their defence industry, the British became increasingly dependent on their American cousins.
Kiev Through deck cruiser
French Navy, nuclear deterrence first!
The first French nuclear submarine was very close to being an attack submarine. The project was shelved, as France was unable to produce sufficiently compact reactors in the 60’s.
Despite strained relations with the Americans, the latter nevertheless supplied France with enough enriched uranium to power the reactors of a first-generation ballistic missile boat, the Redoutable class, the keystone of France's nuclear deterrent in the 70s and 80s.
SNLE Le Redoutable
The program for a nuclear-powered attack sub was restarted in 1972, with the first boat entering service in 1983. The experience accumulated with the Le Redoutable program, enabled the development of an extremely compact nuclear reactor, which for cost reasons was housed in a hull derived from the last conventional French submarine, the Agosta.
France achieved the feat of developing a nuclear submarine weighing less than 3,000 tons, something none of our allies thought us capable of.
However, it wasn't until the early 90s that these boats really reached full maturity.
SNA Perle
Once the Rubis hull had been streamlined and the latest technologies integrated, the French Navy finally had a highly capable weapon system on par with the best foreign submarines.
It's worth noting that in the 90s, France also commissioned a new generation of SSBN, the Triomphant class, considered at the time to be the world's quietest submarines.
During a patrol in 2009, a submarine of this class collided with a British SSBN on a similar nuclear deterrence patrol, neither vessel being able to detect the other before impact. Although both returned safely to port, this incident confirms that this generation of submarines is extremely difficult to detect, ensuring their invulnerability.
Although nearing the end of their life, the remaining Rubis’ SSNs are still very busy; in February 2022, four of them were at sea, two protecting the French Carrier group in the Mediterranean and 2 in the Atlantic. All are busy shadowing the latest Russian submarines which are getting more capable and more aggressive every year.
Even if their hulls are 30 years old, the Rubis’ are still equipped with the latest technology in sensors, weapons and acoustic discretion.
The first 2 SSN Suffren class are now entering service. They are the first boat of the Barracuda program, the latest evolution in French know-how. Twice the size of the Rubis, they incorporate all the technological advances made over the last 30 years.
So how does this latest French production compare with the SSN Virginia, of which 21 of the planned 66 have already been produced?
How can a French-built boat compete with a country that spends 18 times more on defence, and has produced 6 times more nuclear submarines than the shipyards based in Brittany?
Does Naval Group have the know-how needed to make this equipment competitive in the event of a conflict?
Without getting into boat data comparison, which are unverifiable, it is more useful to recall some events from the last 40 years to illustrate the quality of the French black boats and the sailors who use them.
1971
A French-built Daphne SSK submarine, the Pakistan Navy's PNS Hangor, sinks an Indian frigate with a torpedo. To date, this remains the only known submarine to have sunk a target in wartime with an acoustic homing torpedo (the HMS Conqueror in the Falklands hit its target with 2 straight-running WW2 mk8). 50 years later, the Pakistani navy still uses French-built submarines with the very capable Agosta 90. Ironically, the Indian Navy also uses French boats with the Scorpènes class high-performance classic submarines. The “Combat proven" badge remains a key selling point for any product.
1981
During a fleet exercise in the west Mediterranean, a French frigate, the F70 Georges Leygues, equipped with a new variable-immersion sonar system, detected a Russian Victor submarine that thought she was safe from detection under a colder layer of water. The hunt lasted 19 hours, during which the Russian submarine tried to escape at high speed, but the frigate and its helicopter finally forced her to surface, just in front of the NATO fleet she was tracking.
A fine demonstration of French flair!
French FASM with his towed Variable Depth Sonar called “le poisson”
1996 A revolution arrives
France commissioned its first low-frequency active sonar, the SLASM, on three De Grasse ASM destroyers, giving them unprecedented detection ranges. The hunter became the hunted. Sailors proudly recounted the inter-allied exercises in which this new system baffled American submarines, which were spotted at great distances by this new type of active sonar system with a very specific noise nicknamed “the wolf's call”.
Thales' CAPTAS, a direct heir of this system, now equips most European ASM vessels; even the US Navy is purchasing them for their new Constellation ASM Frigate.
In recent years, three French FREMM frigates equipped with CAPTAS received the US Navy Hook’ them award for their efficiency during ASW exercises with the American fleet.
1999 Kosovo
In his memoirs, Admiral Coldefy recounted how, during this conflict, the French navy demonstrated to its British and American allies, forcing their hand a bit in the process, that they could count on the French fleet.
The French Admiral proved they had mastered the use of a submarine force within a carrier group, by dissuading the Serbian fleet to exit the Kotor straight.
1998 -2005
Two French Rubis class SSNs, the Casabianca and the Saphir, have distinguished themselves almost 20 years apart, each time sinking the US aircraft carrier and its escort during exercises despite heavy ASM escort.
2016
Record broken: the French SSN have passed 1,000 days at sea in a single year!
January 2022,
50 years of uninterrupted deterrent patrols by our SSBN fleet
Since 1972, one or two nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines have been permanently at sea, ready to vitrify the infrastructures of our enemies with her 16 MIrved intercontinental ballistic missiles, at the orders of the French President.
This compilation is far from exhaustive, but it is a good extract of the French Navy's experience, with boats that are not always very young, but generally well-equipped.
It's worth noting that in February 2022, a time when a major confrontation can no longer be ruled out, in addition to the 4 Rubis SSNs in operation, 3 of our SNLEs have set sail simultaneously in a display of power to make Putin think twice about his public nuclear rhetoric.
The French navy although small in comparison to the US fleet, has at its disposal the most powerful and modern naval air group in Europe.
So French SSN or American SSN, mate?
Submarines, unlike fighter jets, don't put on many air shows, and their actual performances often remain unknown to the public even many years after these marvels of technology are scrapped. Any specific questions to French active duty or retired commander is usually met with very long silences, as the author experienced as a midship some years ago.
This makes comparisons based on figures, often deliberately inaccurate, very difficult.
What we know is that the French Suffren is 2 times smaller than the Virginia class SSN, which inevitably limits the number of weapons and equipment carried, but according to open-source data, she has all the right toys.
Hull and lateral sonar antenna (twice as large as on the Rubis class)
Anti-torpedo countermeasures
Respectable armament complement (24, 10 more than the Ruby)
Acoustic insulation, hardware on elastic pods
Removable hangar bay behind the sail for carrying commandos + mini submarines
Quiet speed 2 times greater than Rubis
MdCN cruise missile capability (a first for a French submarine)
F21 blackshark Long range heavy torpedoes
There's really only one area where the SSN Virginia is vastly superior: firepower.
Much greater than the project France was proposing to Australia; a nuclear-powered French offer would have made no difference.
It's hard to blame a submarine commander when he's offered such war machines.
The Virginia added an additional strategic strike mission on Chinese territory. The American choice is a very clear message to a country that wants to dominate the Indo-Pacific region.
But It is not unreasonable to wonder whether the navy of a country with a population of 26 million, is capable of absorbing a program of this scale, both financially and in terms of human resources. The Royal Australian Navy currently operates 6 conventional submarines with a crew of 50 sailors. Recruitment problems are highlighted by the fact that no more than 4 submarines have ever been available simultaneously for lack of sailors, and of the 4 submarine commanders identified on the official website, 3 are from other Commonwealth countries (two Canadians and one Englishman).
France, for example, operates a system with two crews per submarine, Red and Blue, to maximise the number of days at sea.
Deploying 8 nuclear boats means that the Australians will have to recruit 5 times as many sailors to man them, and train a whole generation of nuclear engineers, skills they don't have today.
The French offer was reasonable, very capable and well-adapted to Australia's need to evolve from a coastal navy to a Blue Water navy.
As Australia chose the American Virginia, which is understandable given the historical relationship between the three countries, it remains a gigantic generational challenge that Australians will only be able to succeed in, if the human and financial investment is up to it. Perhaps the fear of China will be the necessary catalyst.
France has produced fewer nuclear attack submarines than any of the other countries mentioned above, but thanks to its policy of industrial independence, does master all the technologies needed to design and field a highly capable submarine force.
The export successes of the Agosta and Scorpène conventional submarines regularly demonstrate this (27 units sold). The French have the know-how, they just need to communicate more effectively.
Not bad for a small country of 70 million people!
Sources
hook em award https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/02/video-french-navy-fremm-frigates-win-hookem-award/
Flotte de combat 1988
World submarine covert shores reco guide HI Sutton
Histoire des sous marins JM Mathey , Alexandre Sheldon Duplaix
The deadly trade Ian Ballantyne
La marine sovietique Claude Huan
Harpoon data annexe 1990
US Nuclear Submarine fast attack Osprey
https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy-submarines-and-non-acoustic-sensor-technology/
