Redoutable Class Submarine (1967)

Redoutable Class Submarine (1967)

The Redoutable class submarine is a ballistic missile submarine class of the French Marine Nationale. In French, the type is called Sous-marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins (SNLE), literally "Missile-launching nuclear submarine". When commissioned, they constituted the strategic part of the naval component of the French nuclear triad, then called Force de frappe (the aircraft carriers Clemenceau and Foch constituting the tactical part).

The class entered active service in 1971 with Redoutable, six submarines were built in total. All decommissioned. The structural changes in Inflexible have seen it regarded as a different class from the early boats. The class has been superseded by the Triomphant class, firing the larger M45 missile (M51 from around 2010).

The first submarine, Redoutable, was ordered in 1963, built at Cherbourg, launched in 1967 and commissioned in 1971. Later submarines were very heavily upgraded from 1985 to fire the 2nd generation MIRV capable M4 missile - Tonnant was recommissioned in 1987; Indomptable in 1989; Terrible in 1990; and Foudroyant in 1993.

Ship list:

• Redoutable (1971–1991)
• Terrible (1973–1996)
• Foudroyant (1974–1998)
• Indomptable (1976–2003)
• Tonnant (1980–1999, first M2 submarine)
• Inflexible (1985–2008, first M4 submarine)

• Redoutable in Cherbourg

• Comparison of different nuclear systems: left, the SNLE (Redoutable type) with the M4 missile; right, the SNLE-NG (Triomphant type) with the present M45 missile and the future M51 missile.