Photo: Royal Navy
To say that submarines are a huge focus for the Royal Navy would be an understatement. With its final Astute-class submarines in build, and the ones in the Dreadnought class still in the beginning stages, the Navy is already working on its next-generation fleet, together with the U.S. and Australia.
Last year, the Astute class had four submarines already in operation – HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, and Audacious. HMS Anson has recently joined them, while Agamemnon and Agincourt, the final ones, are getting ready to hit the water soon.
These are the Royal Navy’s newest hunter-killer submarines, introduced as the largest and most advanced ones in the fleet. Almost 100 meters long (318 feet) and weighing 7,400 tons, they combine the efficiency of nuclear reactors (which can ensure a virtually limitless range) with deadly weaponry (including 38 Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles) and state-of-the-art technology (for example, they can destroy land targets that are as far as 1,000-mile/1,600 km away).
But even these powerful submarines will be replaced in the future, starting as soon as the end of this decade. The ones that will take their place are known as the SSN-AUKUS. For now, the AUKUS submarines remain shrouded in mystery in terms of design and capabilities. We do know that they’ll be even larger than the Astute ones and that they’ll be packed with even more impressive weapons and sensors.
What makes them different is that they’ll boast a mix of British design and U.S. submarine technology. That’s because they’re part of something called the AUKUS Program, a collaboration between the U.S., the UK, and Australia.
Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems are also linked to this new submarine class, with Rolls-Royce developing the nuclear reactors that will power them, and BAE acting as the main builder. The SSN-AUKUS vessels meant for the Royal Navy will be built in the UK, while the ones meant for the Royal Australian Navy will be built in Australia, with only certain components coming from the UK.
Of course, this won’t happen tomorrow. Australia still needs to strengthen its industrial base, so that it can handle such a complex submarine project. And the first SSN-AUKUS for its Navy are expected to be ready for action in almost twenty years from now.
In the meantime, both the British and American counterparts will help Australia with all the aspects of future nuclear-based submarine operations.
As for the Royal Navy, the first SSN-AUKUS will be delivered much earlier, by the end of the 2030s. Although they’re meant to replace the Astute-class submarines, they’ll probably work alongside the Dreadnought-class deterrent ones. These 502-foot (153 meters) mammoths with the first mixed crew in history are heralded as the largest and the most advanced that the Royal Navy has ever operated.
These are the Royal Navy’s newest hunter-killer submarines, introduced as the largest and most advanced ones in the fleet. Almost 100 meters long (318 feet) and weighing 7,400 tons, they combine the efficiency of nuclear reactors (which can ensure a virtually limitless range) with deadly weaponry (including 38 Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles) and state-of-the-art technology (for example, they can destroy land targets that are as far as 1,000-mile/1,600 km away).
But even these powerful submarines will be replaced in the future, starting as soon as the end of this decade. The ones that will take their place are known as the SSN-AUKUS. For now, the AUKUS submarines remain shrouded in mystery in terms of design and capabilities. We do know that they’ll be even larger than the Astute ones and that they’ll be packed with even more impressive weapons and sensors.
What makes them different is that they’ll boast a mix of British design and U.S. submarine technology. That’s because they’re part of something called the AUKUS Program, a collaboration between the U.S., the UK, and Australia.
Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems are also linked to this new submarine class, with Rolls-Royce developing the nuclear reactors that will power them, and BAE acting as the main builder. The SSN-AUKUS vessels meant for the Royal Navy will be built in the UK, while the ones meant for the Royal Australian Navy will be built in Australia, with only certain components coming from the UK.
Of course, this won’t happen tomorrow. Australia still needs to strengthen its industrial base, so that it can handle such a complex submarine project. And the first SSN-AUKUS for its Navy are expected to be ready for action in almost twenty years from now.
In the meantime, both the British and American counterparts will help Australia with all the aspects of future nuclear-based submarine operations.
As for the Royal Navy, the first SSN-AUKUS will be delivered much earlier, by the end of the 2030s. Although they’re meant to replace the Astute-class submarines, they’ll probably work alongside the Dreadnought-class deterrent ones. These 502-foot (153 meters) mammoths with the first mixed crew in history are heralded as the largest and the most advanced that the Royal Navy has ever operated.
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