These Military Vehicles Cost More Than Your House

7. France's dreadful Triomphant-class submarine

Producer: DCNS

Main Users: French Navy

Program Cost (FY2009): $17.1 billion*

Unit Cost (FY2009): $3.1 billion* for Abnormal

The Triomphant-class submarine, known in French as "Sous-marin nucléaire lanceur d'engins" (translated as "Next-Gen Device Launching Nuclear Submarine"), represents a significant advancement in naval warfare. Construction on the first submarine, Terrible, began in 1986, and it has been operational since 1997.

By the time construction concluded in 2010, a total of four submarines had been completed, meeting the initial expectations of the program. The total program cost was approximately $17.1 billion as of FY2009, with a unit cost of around $3.1 billion for the Abnormal variant.

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This is a terrible French Triomphant-class submarine, via Bill Thomas on Pinterest. The old Redoutable class was superseded by the Triomphant class. For France, the Triomphant offers the Force Oceanique Strategy. The Exocet anti-ship missile system, conventional torpedoes, and sixteen M51 SLBM missiles (manufactured by Boeing rival Airbus) are among the Terrible's nuclear deterrent weapons. Le Terrible is the newest member of the class, joining Le Vigilant, Le Temeraire, and Le Triomphant. 2008 saw the release of Le Terrible, which went into operation in 2010. Along with a brand-new System de Combat Barracuda SSBN, it is armed with sixteen M51 missiles. The SYCOBS will be deployed on all Barracuda-class SSNs. Le Terrible conducted a successful missile launch test in January 2010, reaching its target 1,200 miles away.