French submarine Le Vigilant (S618)

Le Vigilant is a Triomphant-class strategic nuclear submarine in service with the French Navy.

Le Vigilant
History
France
NameLe Vigilant
Namesake"Vigilant"
Cost4.282 billion (2010)[1]
Laid down1997
Launched19 September 2003
Commissioned26 November 2004
HomeportÎle Longue
IdentificationS618
General characteristics
Class and typeTriomphant-class submarine
Displacement
  • 12 640 tonnes (surfaced)
  • 14 335 t (submerged)
Length138 m (453 ft)
Beam12.50 m (41.0 ft)
Draught10.60 m (34.8 ft)
Propulsion
  • Pressurised water K15 nuclear reactor (150 MW (200,000 hp)), LEU 7%;[2] turboreductor system; Pump-jet
  • 2 SEMT Pielstick diesels-alternators 8PA4V200 SM (700 kW (940 hp)) auxiliaries.
  • 30,500 kW (40,900 hp)
Speedover 25 knots (46 km/h)
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Test depthOver 400 m (1,300 ft)
Complement
  • 15 officers
  • 96 men
Sensors and
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[3][4] or TNO 100-300 kt thermonuclear warheads[5][6]
  • Anti-submarine : 4 × 533 mm (21 in) tubes for F17 torpedoes
  • Anti-surface : Exocet SM39

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "French Audit Report Reveals Weapon Prices, A400M Details". defence-aerospace.com. 18 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  2. ^ https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/18321557.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ "AFP: La marine française met un quatrième sous-marin nucléaire en service". Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. ^ "IA M51 : Chape de plomb sur le nucléaire". Mer et Marine. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  5. ^ Kristensen, Hans. "France" (PDF). Assuring Destruction Forever: Nuclear Weapon Modernization Around the World. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  6. ^ Reif, Kingston (8 December 2009). "Nuclear weapons: The modernization myth". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Retrieved 11 April 2013.