Astute class submarine
From Free net encyclopedia
Mark83 (Talk | contribs)
replace image, claiming fair use
Next diff →
Current revision
Image:BAES Astute.JPG The Astute class submarines are the next generation nuclear attack submarines of the Royal Navy. When completed, the boats will comprise the largest nuclear-powered attack submarines the service has fielded.
Background
As the Swiftsure-class submarines aged, the Royal Navy began to design their replacements. The original design called for large submarines designed for blue-water operations. Feasibility studies began in 1986 and were completed by 1989. A design contract was placed with Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. (VSEL) in 1987, but with the end of the Cold War the project was cancelled in 1992. Emphasis switched to the production of a second batch of Trafalgar-class submarines (Batch 2 Trafalgar Class or B2TC). However the development was extremely slow and initial tenders received from VSEL in June 1995 were too expensive.
Meanwhile, the Royal Navy has changed its submarine-employment strategy from the Cold War emphasis on anti-submarine warfare to the concept of "Maritime Contributions to Joint Operations." The proposed replacement boats were redesigned; the primary mission of the Astute class became direct support of surface forces.
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). Plans, however, have been scaled back. The Swiftsure-class will be entirely decommissioned by 2010, when only the first of the Astute-class will be coming into service. HMS Trafalgar is to be decommissioned in 2008, followed by HMS Turbulent in 2011.
On March 17, 1997, an order was placed with Marconi Marine (VSEL) 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.
The Astute class is expected to be built roughly one-fifth more quickly than earlier boats, with lower running costs and a much smaller ship’s company.
Astute-class boats will be powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactor and fitted with a pump-jet propulsor. The PWR2 reactor was developed for 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 reactors.
Like all Royal Navy submarines, the sails of the Astute-class boats will be 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.
Ships
- HMS Astute (S119), planned to be launched 2009
- HMS Ambush (S120), planned to be launched 2010
- HMS Artful (S121), planned to be launched 2012
General characteristics
- Displacement: 7800 tonnes submerged
- Length: 97 m (323 ft)
- Beam: 11.3 m (37 ft)
- Draught: 10 m (33 ft)
- Test Depth: 300 m
- Propulsion: Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactor (with full submarine life core), MAN (Paxman) 1900 kilowatt diesel generator
- Speed: 29 knots (54 km/h) submerged
- Armament: six 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 38 Spearfish torpedoes, AGM-84 Harpoon and Tomahawk Block III cruise missiles, naval mines
- Sensors:
- Thales Underwater Systems Sonar 2076
- Atlas Hydrographic DESO 25 depth-finding echosounder
- Two Thales Optronics CM010 periscopes
- Raytheon Systems Ltd Successor IFF system
- Complement: 98 officers and men normally, capacity of 109
| Astute-class submarine |
| List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy |
Template:BAE Systemsde:Astute-Klasse ja:アスチュート級原子力潜水艦 sl:Razred podmornic astute