French submarine Le Terrible (S619)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Le Terrible.

Le Terrible (French pronunciation: [lə tɛʁibl]) is a Triomphant-class strategic nuclear submarine of the French Navy. The boat was launched on 21 March 2008 and subsequently commissioned on 20 September 2010.^[8]

Le Terrible surfaced at Brest
History
France
Name	Le Terrible
Namesake	"Terrible"
Cost	€3.1 billion (2010)[1]
Laid down	24 October 2000
Launched	21 March 2008
Commissioned	20 September 2010[2]
Homeport	Île Longue
General characteristics
Class & type	Triomphant-class submarine
Displacement	12 640 tonnes (surfaced) 14 335 t (submerged)
Length	138 m (453 ft)
Beam	12.50 m (41.0 ft)
Draught	10.60 m (34.8 ft)
Propulsion	Pressurised water K15 nuclear reactor (150 MW (200,000 hp)), LEU 7%;[3] turboreductor system; Pump-jet 2 SEMT Pielstick diesels-alternators 8PA4V200 SM (700 kW (940 hp)) auxiliaries. 30,500 kW (40,900 hp)
Speed	over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range	Unlimited distance; 20–25 years
Test depth	Over 400 m (1,300 ft)
Complement	15 officers 96 men
Sensors & processing systems	Sonar DMUX 80 Sonar DUUX 5 Sonar DSUV 61B Very Low Frequency Racal Decca radar (navigation) SCC : SET (Système d'exploitation Tactique) : tactical operational system
Electronic warfare & decoys	ARUR 13
Armament	Nuclear: 16 M45 or M51 missiles with six to ten TN 75 150 kt[4][5] or TNO 100-300 kt thermonuclear warheads[6][7] Anti-submarine : 4 × 533 mm (21 in) tubes for F17 torpedoes Anti-surface : Exocet SM39

History

On 27 January 2010, Le Terrible launched an M51 SLBM from underwater in Audierne Bay.^[9] The missile reached its target 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off North Carolina; the 4,500-kilometre (2,800 mi) flight took about 20 minutes.^[10]

The submarine was put into service on 20 September 2010 armed with 16 M51 missiles.^[2] Le Terrible is fitted with a new SYCOBS combat system (SYstem de COmbat Barracuda-SSBN) which will also be installed on the new Barracuda-class SSNs.^[11][12]

In July 2017 French president Emmanuel Macron visited the submarine in the Atlantic and took part in a simulated missile launch.^[13]

See also

• List of submarines of France