Astute class submarine
Encyclopedia
The Astute-class is the latest class of nuclear-powered
fleet submarine
s (SSN
) in service with the Royal Navy
. The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth. The boats are being constructed by BAE Systems Submarine Solutions at Barrow-in-Furness
.
Seven boats will be constructed. The first of class, Astute
, was launched in 2007 and commissioned in 2010, and the second, Ambush
, was launched on 6 January 2011, and successfully completed its initial dive test on 30 September 2011.
has changed its submarine-employment strategy from the Cold War
emphasis on anti-submarine warfare to the concept of "Maritime Contributions to Joint Operations."
Approval for studies to define the "Batch 2 Trafalgar class" (what would become the Astute class) was given in June 1991. In July 1994 risk reduction studies were authorised in parallel with the formal bid phase of the project.
On 17 March 1997, the Ministry of Defence
announced that it would place a £2 billion order for three submarines and that they would be called the Astute class. On 26 March 1997 the contract was signed with GEC-Marconi for the first three boats: Astute
, Ambush
and Artful
. These names were last given to Amphion-class
submarines that entered service towards the end of World War II
. GEC would build the submarines at its VSEL
subsidiary (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions).
Original plans were for seven boats of the Astute class to replace five Swiftsure-class submarines
(Sovereign
, Superb
, Sceptre
, Spartan
, and Splendid
) and the two oldest Trafalgar-class boats
(Trafalgar
and Turbulent
). The Swiftsure class entered service between 1973 and 1977 and were entirely decommissioned by 2010, when only the first of the Astute class was coming into service. Trafalgar was decommissioned in December 2009, to be followed by Turbulent in 2011.
An estimated 5,900 people are employed directly as a result of the project; 3,500 BAE Systems staff at Barrow and 2,400 other people around the UK.
2 (Core H) reactor and fitted with a pump-jet
propulsor. The PWR2 reactor was developed for the Vanguard-class
ballistic missile submarines. As a result Astute-class boats are about 30 per cent larger than previous British attack submarines, which were powered by smaller diameter reactors.
Like all Royal Navy submarines, the bridge fin of the Astute-class boats is specially reinforced to allow surfacing through ice caps. They can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles from their launch tubes, including the new "tactical Tomahawk" currently under development. More than 39,000 acoustic tiles
mask the vessel's sonar signature, giving the Astute class a better stealth quality than any other submarine previously operated by the Royal Navy. The vessel is equipped with the advanced Sonar 2076
, which is an integrated passive/active search and attack sonar suite with bow, intercept, flank and towed arrays.
The Astute Combat Management System is an evolved version of the Submarine Command System
used on other classes of submarine. The system receives data from the boat's sensors and displays real time imagery on all command consoles. The submarines also have DESO 25 high-precision echosounders, two CM010 non-hull-penetrating optronic masts
which carry thermal imaging and low-light TV and colour CCD TV sensors.
The Astute-class submarines can be fitted with a dry deck shelter
which allows special forces (e.g. SBS
and SAS
) to deploy whilst the submarine is submerged.
Astute is the first Royal Navy submarine class to have a bunk for each member of the ship's company, ending the practice of 'hot bunking
', whereby two sailors on opposite watches shared the same bunk. However in other respects studies found the Astute human factors design inferior to earlier submarines, such as having less mess-deck space than the built 45 years earlier.
maritime reconnaissance/attack aircraft. The delay was caused primarily by the problems of using 3D CAD; Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said in 2006 that "due to the complexity of the programme, the benefits that CAD was envisaged to provide were more difficult to realise than either MoD or the contractor had assumed." Other issues were the insufficient capabilities within GEC-Marconi which became evident after contract-award and poor programme management. BAE and the Ministry of Defence reached an agreement in February 2003 whereby they would invest £250 million and £430 million respectively to address the programme's difficulties.
A major element of this was the enlisting of advice and expertise from General Dynamics Electric Boat
. The MoD also signed a design and production drawing work contract through the U.S. Navy which ran from 2004 to 2007.
Work on the second and third submarines, Ambush and Artful, proceeded well with major milestones such as the closure of Ambushs reactor compartment, demonstrating significant schedule advance compared with Astute. BAE Systems and the MoD have made efforts to reduce costs and achieved significant cost-cutting and productivity gains. A £580 million cost increase was agreed in 2007 due to maturing of the design requiring more materials, inflationary costs, and "some programme throughput assumptions at the Barrow site not being borne out."
First-of-class HMS Astute was launched by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on 8 June 2007.
As of March 2008 the programme was 48% (or £1.2 billion) over-budget and 47 months late. Further delays due to a range of technical and programme issues brought the programme to a position of 57 months late and 53% (or £1.35 billion) over-budget by November 2009, with a forecast cost of £3.9 billion for the first three Astute boats.
As of August 2006 BAE Systems was negotiating for a contract to build another four Astute-class submarines (boats 4 to 7). The fourth boat was ordered on 21 May 2007, to be called Audacious, and the names of boats 5, 6, and 7 have been agreed as Agamemnon, Anson, and Ajax. On 15 September 2011 it was announced that boat 5 would now be named Anson.
Upon the beginning of sea trials of Astute in November 2009, it was reported that long-lead items for boats 5 and 6 have been ordered, including their nuclear reactor cores, and that the stated intention of the MoD was for a total of seven Astute-class submarines.
On 25 March 2010, BAE Systems were given the go-ahead by the government to begin construction on boats 5 and 6, being given a £300 million contract for the "initial build" of boat 5 and "long lead procurement activities" for boat 6. In the same week the government re-affirmed their commitment to the construction of seven Astute-class submarines.
The order of 7 Astute-class boats was confirmed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review
of October 2010. In December that year it was confirmed by the MoD that "early work" was under way on boats 5 and 6.
Nuclear marine propulsion
Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships...
fleet submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s (SSN
Hull classification symbol
The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...
) in service with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth. The boats are being constructed by BAE Systems Submarine Solutions at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
.
Seven boats will be constructed. The first of class, Astute
HMS Astute (S119)
HMS Astute is a nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. Builders BAE Systems describe her as "the largest and most able attack submarine that the Royal Navy has operated, with a performance to rival any in the world"....
, was launched in 2007 and commissioned in 2010, and the second, Ambush
HMS Ambush (S120)
HMS Ambush is an Astute-class nuclear fleet submarine of the Royal Navy, the second boat of her class, and is currently fitting out. Ambush was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine on 17 March 1997...
, was launched on 6 January 2011, and successfully completed its initial dive test on 30 September 2011.
Background
The Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
has changed its submarine-employment strategy from the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
emphasis on anti-submarine warfare to the concept of "Maritime Contributions to Joint Operations."
Approval for studies to define the "Batch 2 Trafalgar class" (what would become the Astute class) was given in June 1991. In July 1994 risk reduction studies were authorised in parallel with the formal bid phase of the project.
On 17 March 1997, the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
announced that it would place a £2 billion order for three submarines and that they would be called the Astute class. On 26 March 1997 the contract was signed with GEC-Marconi for the first three boats: Astute
HMS Astute (S119)
HMS Astute is a nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. Builders BAE Systems describe her as "the largest and most able attack submarine that the Royal Navy has operated, with a performance to rival any in the world"....
, Ambush
HMS Ambush (S120)
HMS Ambush is an Astute-class nuclear fleet submarine of the Royal Navy, the second boat of her class, and is currently fitting out. Ambush was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine on 17 March 1997...
and Artful
HMS Artful (S121)
HMS Artful is the third Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy. Artful was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine on 17 March 1997, and is under construction at Barrow in Furness....
. These names were last given to Amphion-class
Amphion class submarine
|-See also:- External links :**...
submarines that entered service towards the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. GEC would build the submarines at its VSEL
Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd
In 1994 VSEL was subject to two takeover proposals, one from GEC and another from British Aerospace . VSEL was willing to participate in a merger with a larger company to reduce its exposure to cycles in warship production, particularly following the "Options for Change" defence review after the...
subsidiary (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions).
Original plans were for seven boats of the Astute class to replace five Swiftsure-class submarines
Swiftsure class submarine
The Swiftsure class were a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines in service with the Royal Navy from the early 1970s until 2010....
(Sovereign
HMS Sovereign (S108)
HMS Sovereign is a nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class.-Construction:Construction of the boat began on 18 September 1970; she was launched on 17 February 1973, and commissioned on 11 July 1974.-Operational history:...
, Superb
HMS Superb (S109)
HMS Superb was a nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class serving in the Royal Navy.She was built by Vickers Shipbuilding Groups, now a division of BAE Systems Submarine Solutions. HMS Superb was launched on 30 November 1974 at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and commissioned into the...
, Sceptre
HMS Sceptre (S104)
The fifth HMS Sceptre is a Swiftsure-class submarine built by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness. She was launched in 1976, with a bottle of cider against her hull. She was commissioned on 14 February 1978, by Lady Audrey White. She was the tenth nuclear fleet submarine to enter service with the Royal...
, Spartan
HMS Spartan (S105)
HMS Spartan is a nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy's Swiftsure class. HMS Spartan was launched on April 7, 1978 by Lady Lygo, wife of Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo. The boat was built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England...
, and Splendid
HMS Splendid (S106)
HMS Splendid was a Royal Navy nuclear powered fleet submarine of the Swiftsure class. HMS Splendid was launched at Barrow on 5 October 1979, by Lady Ann Eberle, wife of Admiral Sir James Eberle, then Commander-in-Chief Fleet...
) and the two oldest Trafalgar-class boats
Trafalgar class submarine
The Trafalgar class is a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines in service with the Royal Navy. They are a direct follow on from the Swiftsure class and were, until the introduction of the Astute class, the Royal Navy's most advanced nuclear fleet submarines.Seven boats were built and...
(Trafalgar
HMS Trafalgar (S107)
HMS Trafalgar is a decommissioned of the Royal Navy. Unlike the rest of the Trafalgar-class boats that followed, she was not launched with a pump jet propulsion system, but with a conventional 7-bladed propeller...
and Turbulent
HMS Turbulent (S87)
HMS Turbulent is a of the Royal Navy built by Vickers Shipbuilding, Barrow-in-Furness.Turbulent is scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of 2011.-Operational history:...
). The Swiftsure class entered service between 1973 and 1977 and were entirely decommissioned by 2010, when only the first of the Astute class was coming into service. Trafalgar was decommissioned in December 2009, to be followed by Turbulent in 2011.
An estimated 5,900 people are employed directly as a result of the project; 3,500 BAE Systems staff at Barrow and 2,400 other people around the UK.
Design
Astute-class boats are powered by a Rolls-Royce PWRRolls-Royce PWR
The Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor series has powered British nuclear submarines since the Valiant class, commissioned in 1966. The first British nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought, was powered by a Westinghouse S5W reactor.- PWR1 :...
2 (Core H) reactor and fitted with a pump-jet
Pump-jet
A pump-jet, hydrojet, or water jet, is a marine system that creates a jet of water for propulsion. The mechanical arrangement may be a ducted propeller with nozzle, or a centrifugal pump and nozzle...
propulsor. The PWR2 reactor was developed for the Vanguard-class
Vanguard class submarine
The Vanguard class are the Royal Navy's current nuclear ballistic missile submarines , each armed with up to 16 Trident II Submarine-launched ballistic missiles...
ballistic missile submarines. As a result Astute-class boats are about 30 per cent larger than previous British attack submarines, which were powered by smaller diameter reactors.
Like all Royal Navy submarines, the bridge fin of the Astute-class boats is specially reinforced to allow surfacing through ice caps. They can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles from their launch tubes, including the new "tactical Tomahawk" currently under development. More than 39,000 acoustic tiles
Anechoic tile
Anechoic tiles are rubber or synthetic polymer tiles containing thousands of tiny voids, applied to the outer hulls of military ships and submarines, as well as anechoic chambers...
mask the vessel's sonar signature, giving the Astute class a better stealth quality than any other submarine previously operated by the Royal Navy. The vessel is equipped with the advanced Sonar 2076
Sonar 2076
Sonar 2076 is a submarine sonar detection system designed by Thales for the Royal Navy.The system comprises an integrated suite of active and passive sonar systems including bow, fin, flank and towed arrays...
, which is an integrated passive/active search and attack sonar suite with bow, intercept, flank and towed arrays.
The Astute Combat Management System is an evolved version of the Submarine Command System
SMCS
SMCS, the Submarine Command System, was first created for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom's Vanguard class submarines as a tactical information system and a torpedo weapon control system...
used on other classes of submarine. The system receives data from the boat's sensors and displays real time imagery on all command consoles. The submarines also have DESO 25 high-precision echosounders, two CM010 non-hull-penetrating optronic masts
Photonics mast
A photonics mast is a sensor similar in concept to a submarine periscope, except that it doesn't require a periscope tube thus freeing design space duringconstruction and limiting risks of water leakage in the event of damage...
which carry thermal imaging and low-light TV and colour CCD TV sensors.
The Astute-class submarines can be fitted with a dry deck shelter
Dry Deck Shelter
A Dry Deck Shelter is a removable module that can be attached to a submarine to allow divers easy exit and entrance while the boat is submerged...
which allows special forces (e.g. SBS
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
and SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
) to deploy whilst the submarine is submerged.
Astute is the first Royal Navy submarine class to have a bunk for each member of the ship's company, ending the practice of 'hot bunking
Hot Racking
Hot racking is the sanctioned practice within military organizations of assigning more than one crew member to a bed or "rack" to reduce berthing space. The practice dates back at least to the sixteenth century, and today is particularly applied aboard submarines, where maximization of space is...
', whereby two sailors on opposite watches shared the same bunk. However in other respects studies found the Astute human factors design inferior to earlier submarines, such as having less mess-deck space than the built 45 years earlier.
Construction and delays
BAE Systems issued a profit warning on 11 December 2002 as a result of the cost overruns and delays it was experiencing with the Astute class and also the Nimrod MRA4BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4
The BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 was a maritime patrol and attack aircraft intended to replace the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2. The rebuilt aircraft would have extended the operating life of the Nimrod fleet by several decades and have significantly improved the aircraft by almost doubling the flight...
maritime reconnaissance/attack aircraft. The delay was caused primarily by the problems of using 3D CAD; Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said in 2006 that "due to the complexity of the programme, the benefits that CAD was envisaged to provide were more difficult to realise than either MoD or the contractor had assumed." Other issues were the insufficient capabilities within GEC-Marconi which became evident after contract-award and poor programme management. BAE and the Ministry of Defence reached an agreement in February 2003 whereby they would invest £250 million and £430 million respectively to address the programme's difficulties.
A major element of this was the enlisting of advice and expertise from General Dynamics Electric Boat
Electric Boat Corporation
The General Dynamics Electric Boat is a division of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for over 100 years....
. The MoD also signed a design and production drawing work contract through the U.S. Navy which ran from 2004 to 2007.
Work on the second and third submarines, Ambush and Artful, proceeded well with major milestones such as the closure of Ambushs reactor compartment, demonstrating significant schedule advance compared with Astute. BAE Systems and the MoD have made efforts to reduce costs and achieved significant cost-cutting and productivity gains. A £580 million cost increase was agreed in 2007 due to maturing of the design requiring more materials, inflationary costs, and "some programme throughput assumptions at the Barrow site not being borne out."
First-of-class HMS Astute was launched by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on 8 June 2007.
As of March 2008 the programme was 48% (or £1.2 billion) over-budget and 47 months late. Further delays due to a range of technical and programme issues brought the programme to a position of 57 months late and 53% (or £1.35 billion) over-budget by November 2009, with a forecast cost of £3.9 billion for the first three Astute boats.
Submarines of the class
| Name | Boat | Pennant number Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Status | Laid down | Launched | Date of commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astute HMS Astute (S119) HMS Astute is a nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. Builders BAE Systems describe her as "the largest and most able attack submarine that the Royal Navy has operated, with a performance to rival any in the world".... |
1 | S119 | On sea trials | 31 January 2001 | 8 June 2007 | 27 August 2010 |
| Ambush HMS Ambush (S120) HMS Ambush is an Astute-class nuclear fleet submarine of the Royal Navy, the second boat of her class, and is currently fitting out. Ambush was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine on 17 March 1997... |
2 | S120 | Fitting out | 22 October 2003 | 6 January 2011 | In service 2013 |
| Artful HMS Artful (S121) HMS Artful is the third Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy. Artful was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine on 17 March 1997, and is under construction at Barrow in Furness.... |
3 | S121 | Under construction | 11 March 2005 | In service 2015 | |
| Audacious HMS Audacious (S122) HMS Audacious is the fourth Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy. Long lead items for its construction were ordered on 28 August 2006 although the actual order was not placed until 21 May 2007. It is currently under construction.Some aspects of A-04 will be different from... |
4 | S122 | Under construction | 24 March 2009 | In service 2018 | |
| Anson | 5 | S123 | Initial build phase underway | 13 October 2011 | In service 2020 | |
| Agamemnon | 6 | S124 | On order; long-lead items ordered | In service 2022 | ||
| Ajax HMS Ajax (S125) HMS Ajax is a proposed Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy and will be the seventh in her class.The confirmation for the seventh and final Astute-class boat was given in the Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010, although an order has yet to be... |
7 | S125 | On order; long-lead items ordered | In service 2024 |
As of August 2006 BAE Systems was negotiating for a contract to build another four Astute-class submarines (boats 4 to 7). The fourth boat was ordered on 21 May 2007, to be called Audacious, and the names of boats 5, 6, and 7 have been agreed as Agamemnon, Anson, and Ajax. On 15 September 2011 it was announced that boat 5 would now be named Anson.
Upon the beginning of sea trials of Astute in November 2009, it was reported that long-lead items for boats 5 and 6 have been ordered, including their nuclear reactor cores, and that the stated intention of the MoD was for a total of seven Astute-class submarines.
On 25 March 2010, BAE Systems were given the go-ahead by the government to begin construction on boats 5 and 6, being given a £300 million contract for the "initial build" of boat 5 and "long lead procurement activities" for boat 6. In the same week the government re-affirmed their commitment to the construction of seven Astute-class submarines.
The order of 7 Astute-class boats was confirmed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review
Strategic Defence and Security Review
The Strategic Defence and Security Review was announced by the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010...
of October 2010. In December that year it was confirmed by the MoD that "early work" was under way on boats 5 and 6.
General characteristics
Sensors:- Thales Underwater SystemsThales Underwater SystemsThales Underwater Systems , formerly known as Thomson Marconi Sonar, is an international defence manufacturer specialising in sonar systems for submarines, surface warships, and aircraft as well as communications masts and systems for submarines. TUS is a subsidiary of Thales Naval, part of the...
Sonar 2076Sonar 2076Sonar 2076 is a submarine sonar detection system designed by Thales for the Royal Navy.The system comprises an integrated suite of active and passive sonar systems including bow, fin, flank and towed arrays... - Atlas HydrographicAtlas HydrographicATLAS Hydrographic is a hydrographic and oceanographic systems company, part of the ATLAS Elektronik group that is owned by ThyssenKrupp and EADS....
DESO 25 depth-finding echosounder - Two Thales OptronicsThales OptronicsThales Optronics is a major unit of Thales Group and has three main subsidiaries, Thales Optronics Ltd. , Thales Optronique SA and Thales Optronics B.V....
CM010 optronic mastsPhotonics mastA photonics mast is a sensor similar in concept to a submarine periscope, except that it doesn't require a periscope tube thus freeing design space duringconstruction and limiting risks of water leakage in the event of damage...
in place of conventional periscopePeriscopeA periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
s. - Raytheon Systems Ltd Successor IFFIdentification friend or foeIn telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
system
External links
- BAE Systems Astute Microsite
- Cutaway Diagram(pdf)
- Navy Matters - Astute Class
- BAE Systems: Murray Easton Interview
- How to Build a Nuclear Submarine. BBC Television documentary, first broadcast 27 Jun 2010.