On September 30, 2024, Naval Group and the Dutch Ministry of Defense signed a contract to build four conventionally powered submarines based on the French-designed Barracuda-class nuclear-powered attack submarine SSN. The Blacksword Barracuda, as the conventional version is called, competed and won the Dutch competition against very notable European designs such as SAAB’s A26 Blekinge and TKMS’s U-212CD, with the announcement being made on March 15, 2024. The total cost of the program is 5.6 billion euros and the first submarines are expected to be delivered ten years after the contract is signed. The new submarines of the Dutch Navy are expected to be named after top marine predators such as Orka (Orca), Zwaardvis (Swordfish), Barracuda (Barracuda) and Tijgerhaai (Tiger Shark).
This submarine is the most modern French technology has to show in the submarine sector. The Blacksword Barracuda is derived directly from the new French nuclear-powered attack submarine and is expected to incorporate many common electronics and weapons technologies with the main difference being the size and the propulsion vessel. The conventional version of the submarine will be a diesel-electric submarine with new generation lithium-ion batteries. The fact that the submarine is longer than its conventional counterparts of 65-70 meters and 2000 tons indicates that it has room for more battery cells, which leads to a longer duration of diving. Another great advantage of lithium-ion batteries compared to traditional lead-acid batteries is their short recharge time and their longer lifespan. The propeller will be driven by a permanent magnet electric motor as usual.
Externally, the submarine will have the same design lines that provide very low noise levels, the diving fins are located on the tower and the steering system is of the X type as in the nuclear-powered version. The only difference is the non-adoption of the pump-jet propulsion system that the nuclear-powered siblings have but a conventional type propeller with very low noise has been chosen. The pump-jet propulsion system is essentially a propeller located inside a conical ring where the water flow is smoothed before it goes to the propeller and according to Naval Group further noise reduction is achieved. Another main difference compared to the nuclear-powered version is that the diving fins will be located on the submarine’s tower.
The new submarines are to have a total length of 82 meters, 17.5 meters shorter than the original submarine and a durable hull diameter of 8.2 meters while the displacement on the surface will be approximately 3300 tons. The crew will consist of 35 people while it will have accommodations for 43 + 16 personnel and a special forces team. The submarine will have two decks and the layout will be of a classic type, following the layout of its nuclear-powered sibling. From bow to stern there is the torpedo tube compartment with six torpedo tubes. The compartment where the accommodations are located on the upper deck and the weapons compartment on the lower and the forward battery array on the lower deck. The compartment with the submarine’s combat information and management center. The engine room compartment with the electric motors and the rear battery pack and finally the electric motor compartment.
The combat system will be a version of the SYCOB that the French submarines also carry, which will integrate the weapons that the Dutch navy has in addition to these, but the submarine has the ability to carry a large number of weapons both in absolute number (30) and in variety. Such as the French F21 torpedoes, AM-39 B2 Exocet anti-ship missiles, Scalp Naval cruise missiles, mines and in the future submarine-launched unmanned vehicles of the UAV & UUV type.
On March 19, 2025, the Dutch Navy signed a contract with Thales for the supply of a complete suite of high-performance sonar systems that will provide submarines with a complete picture of the underwater acoustic environment, guaranteeing operational superiority. The sonar suite features high-performance acoustic sensors, including bow, side-mounted and obstacle avoidance sonar, interception array, towed array passive sonar, underwater voice communication system and signal processing system. This coherent suite of equipment will provide an unprecedented panoramic view of the underwater environment, enabling the detection, identification and classification of all types of threats at short, medium and long range over a wide frequency range. In addition, the submarine is expected to have full communications and link systems such as Link 11,16,22 as well as other systems also carried by French submarines.
