DefExpo22: Submarines, LHD to be laid out by Naval Group
SMX31E submarine concept, Barracuda submarines and Mistral LHD at show

F21 heavyweight torpedo | Art: Naval Group

French naval systems company Naval Group will be showcasing its product-line including submarines, torpedoes and its LHD warship in an immersive exhibition experience at DefExpo 2022.

Alain Guillou, Senior Executive Vice President of Development said in a statement, “Naval Group India has paved the way for many successful milestones synced with the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Indian Government. We remain dedicated to create sustainable and sovereign industrial partnerships in naval defence in India and to remain a long-term partner of the country.”

Naval Group supplied the technology for the Scorpene submarines built in India for the Indian Navy. The French company will now be exhibiting its Barracuda family of submarines and it latest, SMX31E submarine concept at DefExpo 2022.

The company said that it delivered the first of class, SSN Suffren, in November 2020 and six Barracudas will replace the six Rubis-class ships currently in service in the French Navy by 2030. This ‘Barracuda family includes a conventionally powered version offered by Naval Group on export markets’, according to the Naval Group.

But they also plan to display their newest submarine concept, the SMX31E. The company says the new platform is intended to be ‘stealthier owing to innovative scaling biomimetic covering’ and ‘also benefits from an unmatched electrical energy storage capacity and a new propulsion concept’.

“Endurance is another asset of the SMX31E –it allows the crew to be submerged for months thanks to the high energy capacities and efficient energy management system,” said the Naval Group in its description, adding, ” Using advanced artificial intelligence technology, this submarine offers maximal connectivity to interact with the rest of the fleet in a distributed underwater network. This new digital design enables the crew to collect and process data efficiently with remote sensors allowing them to master underwater tactical situation. The SMX 31E can monitor areas 10 times larger than today with the same efficiency.”

Also prominent at the show will be the Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) warship, a helicopter-carrier with a versatility that includes amphibious landing operations and command and force projection capability. “Up to 16 medium (NH90, Tigre) or 35 light helicopters can be carried and stored in the 1,800 sq metre hangar deck. The 5,000 sq metre flight deck can accommodate up to six helicopter landing or movements simultaneously,” said the company, adding, “The design can be easily adapted for Indian shipyards to deliver a compliant LPD for the Indian Navy.”

And finally, the Naval Group will be showing off the capabilities of its F21 Heavy Weight Torpedo, which it is offering for integration onto the Indian Navy’s Scorpene submarines. The company says because if its ‘advanced mission system and very long endurance, F21 is the first heavyweight torpedo able to perform complex mission autonomously’.

All of these systems will be displayed in a ‘giant interactive digital environment’ ‘in immersive settings’ called Naval Xplore at DefExpo 2022.