The Royal Navy's Astute Class submarine is a nuclear-powered attack submarine designed to replace the five Swiftsure Class submarines, launched between 1973 and 1977 and approaching the end of their operational life.
The initial order quantity was three, but the UK MoD has ordered an additional four, meaning seven submarines will be built as part of the Astute Class. The performance specification of the Astute is an extension of the performance of the Trafalgar Class batch 1 fleet of the Royal Navy's Second Submarine Squadron, based at Devonport. These Trafalgar batch 1 submarines are to be decommissioned (Active storage) by 2022, beginning with HMS Trafalgar, which was decommissioned in December 2009. The Astute Class submarines replacing them will also be based at Faslane in Scotland.
BAE Systems Astute Class is the prime contractor for the project and the submarines are being built at the BAE Systems Marine Barrow shipyard. The first three Astute boats in service are HMS Astute (S119), HMS Ambush (S120) and HMS Artful (S121). The fourth submarine was named HMS Audacious (S122) is currently undergoing sea trials. The fifth, sixth and seventh Astute Class submarines, HMS Anson (S123), HMS Agamemnon (S124) and HMS Ajax (S125) respectively were ordered in September 2011.
The keel for the first-of-class HMS Astute was laid in January 2001 and it was launched on 8 June 2007. In October 2007, HMS Astute made her first dive, for an underwater systems test, at the 'dive hole' in Devonshire Dock, Barrow. Also, in October, the vessel successfully carried out first firing trials from its torpedo tubes. HMS Astute was commissioned in August 2010.
The keel of HMS Ambush was laid in October 2003. It was launched in December 2010. Ambush made its first voyage in January 2011. The initial dive test of the Ambush was completed in September 2011. The Ambush was commissioned in March 2013. The HMS Astute and HMS Ambush submarines were handed over to the Royal Navy in July 2013.
The keel of HMS Artful was laid in March 2005. The submarine was launched in May 2014 and performed maiden dive in October 2014. and commissioned in 2015. In May 2007, the UK MoD awarded BAE Systems a contract to build a fourth Astute Class submarine, HMS Audacious (S122), to enter service in 2018. The keel of Audacious was laid in March 2009. In December 2012, BAE Systems received £1.2bn contract from the UK MoD for the design, construction, test and commissioning programme of Audacious.
The fifth and sixth Astute Class submarines, HMS Anson (S123) and HMS Agamemnon (S124), were ordered in March 2010. The keel for Anson was laid in October 2011 while that of Agamemnon was laid in July 2013. These submarines are expected to be commissioned in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The seventh, HMS Ajax (S125), has been confirmed but the order is yet to be placed.
Astute combat management system (ACMS) is being supplied by BAE Systems Insyte (formerly Alenia Marconi Systems) and is a development of the submarine command system (SMCS) currently in service in all classes of UK submarines.
It is widely acknowledged no other attack submarine can match the Astute class weapons capability; no other attack submarine is as technologically advanced. The Astute class is designed and engineered to be the stealthiest submarine of her type, equipped with the latest and most powerful sonar suite and secure communications facilities, while exhibiting a low noise signature and optimum detection avoidance characteristics.
All seven Astute class nuclear powered submarines (SSNs) will have the capability to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing, limited only by their food storage capacity. Able to deploy rapidly, they are powered by a nuclear reactor that can run for their 25 year lifespan without refuelling. They are also the first submarines not to be fitted with optical periscopes using instead ‘high specification video transference’. The USN’s Ohio submarines have been retrofitted with the same technology.
Despite all its advanced design and technology, the introduction of the Astute class has been fraught with mishaps. HMS Astute ran aground off the Isle of Skye on the 22nd October 2010 and only recently (21st July 2015) HMS Ambush collided with a freighter in the Straights of Gibraltar whilst running submerged.
