Redoutable class submarine

Career	French Navy Ensign
Length	130 m
Displacement	9,000 tons (submerged)
Complement	115 men
Power Plant	One PWR
Power	16,000 shp
Speed	25 knots
Armament	16 M4 MSBS (Mer Sol Balistique Stratégique) nuclear missiles four 533 mm torpedo tubes ECAN torpedoes SM-39 Exocet

The Redoutable class submarine is a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) class, Sous-marin Nucléaire Lanceur d'Engins (SNLE), of the French Marine Nationale , the oceanic part (Force Océanique Stratégique, FOST) of the Force de frappe.

The class entered active service in 1971 with Le Redoutable, six submarines were built in total. Only one is still active, L'Inflexible (S615) based at Ile Longue, Brest. The structural changes in L'Inflexible have seen it regarded as a different class from the early boats. The class has been superseded by the Le Triomphant class, firing the larger M45 missile (M51 from around 2010).

The first submarine, Le Redoutable, was ordered in 1963, built at Cherbourg, launched in 1967 and commissioned in 1971. The class was initially called the Redoutable class, the class was renamed to Inflexible class after the de-commissioning of Le Redoutable in December 1991. The remaining submarines were very heavily upgraded from 1985 to fire the 2nd generation MIRV capable M4 missile - Le Tonnant was recommissioned in 1987; L'Indomptable in 1989; Le Terrible in 1990; and Le Foudroyant in 1993.

Boat list:
* Redoutable (1971-1991)
* Terrible (1973-1996)
* Foudroyant (1974-1998)
* Indomptable (1976-2003)
* Tonnant (1980-1999, first M2 submarine)
* Inflexible (1985-2006, first M4 submarine)

Le 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.