French nuclear-powered missile submarine Sous-Marin SNLE COBI 4859 - Armed Forces 1:300

Did you know:

• The fleet of French Le Triomphant–class submarines consists of four vessels in total: Le Triomphant (S-616), Le Téméraire (S-617), Le Vigilant (S-618) and Le Terrible (S-619).
• The original plans called for six submarines, but shortly after the launch of the first unit the French government ran out of funds. Construction of the fifth and sixth submarines was therefore never started.
• For the construction of modern submarines, a new steel alloy HLES 100 was developed, characterized by exceptional strength. The alloy had to be welded under strictly controlled conditions and only the best specialists were allowed to perform the work. Across all of France, only 80 welders passed the tests and met all requirements. The reason was simple: if an air bubble formed in a submarine weld, the HLES 100 steel plates would crack like glass.
• The submarines are armed with sixteen M45 ballistic missiles with a range of 6,000 km.
• Propulsion is provided by a pressurized-water reactor with a fuel supply for 25 years.
• The French military expects the submarines to remain in operational service until 2035, when they should be replaced by SNLE 3G vessels, which will be quieter, faster and equipped with the most modern armament. These vessels are expected to serve until 2090.

Technical specifications:

• dimensions: length 138 m, beam 12.5 m
• displacement 14,120 tons
• propulsion system: K15 pressurized-water reactor + 2× auxiliary SEMT-Pielstick 8 PA 4 diesel engines
• maximum speed 37 km/h on the surface and 46 km/h submerged
• armament: 16× M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles + 4× 533 mm torpedo tubes + SM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles
• sonar Thales DMUX 80
• crew 110 personnel

From the report “Analysis of the Tactical and Technical Characteristics of the ‘Triomphant’-type PLARB”, prepared for the command of the Russian Navy in 1997:

“Based on available findings from involved foreign intelligence services and the analytical unit of the Navy, the French Le Triomphant–class submarines represent a dangerous and effective adversary capability. At the present time, the Russian Federation does not possess effective means for their detection and interception. The military-industrial and scientific complex must respond to this threat.” 

About the COBI building set:

• the COBI 4859 building set is made of 643 high-quality ABS parts
• World War II collection 1:300
• pad printed – no stickers
• faithful detailing
• made in the EU