Le Tonnant (S614) is the sixth and final of the Redoutable-class SNLE (“Sous-marin Nucléaire Lanceur d’Engins”, “Nuclear Missile-Launching Submarine”) of the Force océanique stratégique (FOST), the submarine nuclear deterrent component of the French Navy. The Le Redoutable-class submarine was a ballistic missile submarine class of the French Marine Nationale. 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 have since been 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 The class has been superseded by the Triomphant class, firing the larger M45 missile (M51 from around 2010).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 Deconstruction of the SNLE Le Tonnant Submarine
The Deconstruction of the SNLE Le Tonnant Submarine
Le Tonnant (S614) is the sixth and final of the Redoutable-class SNLE (“Sous-marin Nucléaire Lanceur d’Engins”, “Nuclear Missile-Launching Submarine”) of the Force océanique stratégique (FOST), the submarine nuclear deterrent component of the French Navy. The Le Redoutable-class submarine was a ballistic missile submarine class of the French Marine Nationale. 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 have since been 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 The class has been superseded by the Triomphant class, firing the larger M45 missile (M51 from around 2010).