Latest news with #AstuteClass
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Allegra Stratton: Starmer's Need For Speed
If you've never been to the shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, just south of the Lake District, then it's worth a trip. I have been a fair bit both as a day tripper and also as a TV reporter, when I always found the local 'Spoons stuffed with submariners having a pint before heading off on what they call their 'Silent Service' through the planet's seas. But the ultimate spectacle is to walk over the bridge in Barrow and find yourself staring right at one of Britain's nuclear subs: half submerged like a resting black electric eel. The one in the dock in March, when the prime minister became the first Labour leader to visit in 30 years, was HMS Agamemnon, or 'awesome Aggie' — part of the new Astute-class of subs that will protect the UK's nuclear deterrent and the rest out at sea. When I've visited, the skills and pride of the technicians are clear to see, as they thrum around the boats.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
I'm a former submariner – here's what you need to know about Britain's new nuclear fleet
During the Cold War and for a short time following the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the United Kingdom had a fleet of submarines: the Strategic Deterrent, the Hunter Killer Fleet boats and the Diesel Submarine Flotillas. We could justly say that we could act – independently and with our allies – across the world and in any theatre of war. Yet post Cold War, political decisions were made on the assumption that we no longer needed such capable forces; the peace had been won. We lost all the diesel submarines with one sweep of the political pen; we reduced the number of SSNs from a combine force of 13 Swiftsure and Trafalgar Class, replacing them with highly effective but limited numbers of the Astute Class, seven in total; we whittled down the shore support that would keep the boats we had at sea for longer. We stopped investing in the shore facilities that would support our submarines and provide a decent home for our submariners. Numbers matter – it is a stark and irrefutable fact. From early in the last decade, it has become self evident that there is a resurgent Russia. The military has known this for a considerable amount of time and submariners never believed the Cold War had stopped. Unfortunately, most politicians have felt it unpalatable to accept the truth of the in-house briefings and the obvious facts. In reality, we have needed to make significant steps towards re-arming and increasing our fleet capability for a decade or more. This week's announcement, therefore, that there is intent to procure 12 replacement SSNs for the Astute class is a very welcome political acknowledgement of a military reality – and may, in time, bring us back somewhere towards where we need to be to fulfil our standing obligations nationally, internationally and reactively. Increases in capability are important – they keep you at the cutting edge of war fighting and able to stand up in the most challenging of arenas – but so are raw numbers. You can have the most capable ship in the world, but if you only have one, it is vulnerable, either to mechanical failure or to enemy action. Only with numbers do you have some sort of tactical resilience and the ability to show that you can project maritime power and influence beyond your own borders. Over the past few years, the Royal Navy has suffered from a well-publicised lack of available Astute Class. While the reasons for this are complicated, a large part of it is the sparing strategy adopted by the MoD. Without a decent cache of spares, a routine mechanical issue becomes an operational showstopper. A flotilla of seven SSNs provides some (but arguably nowhere near enough) strategic resilience to respond to international maritime demands. Once you remove a submarine within a long maintenance period, two within short maintenance periods, two on operational stand down periods and one with a short term defect, you very quickly run out altogether. The permanent operational demands of having a submarine ready to protect home waters – plus one ready to deploy to protect longer distance interests and one potentially supporting carrier group operations or Nato exercises – balanced against the above availability, means there is no surge capacity or room for contingent operations. What this new announcement must not become is a short-term political statement that fails to materialise through budgetary constraints. To give our fleet the tools to do the job to defend our nation, we must have at least 12 Hunter Killer submarines. A further discussion could then be had about strengthening our Strategic Deterrent Flotilla and the rest of the maritime, land and air defence offering. The sledgehammer of Putin's military stance has finally cracked the UK's political nut. Let us hope that we turn this intent into a reality, sign the contracts and start the process that will re-grow our defensive capability into something that will properly deter and protect our nation from an increasingly risky maritime environment.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
UK to build attack subs as part of major defence review
GLASGOW: Britain announced it will build 12 new attack submarines as it launched a major defence review Monday to move the country to 'war-fighting readiness' in the face of 'Russian aggression' and the changing nature of conflict. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that 'the threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War,' as he launched the review in Glasgow. 'We face war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyber-attacks, growing Russian aggression in our waters, menacing our skies,' he added. The Strategic Defence Review, which assesses threats facing the UK and makes recommendations, said that Britain is entering 'a new era of threat'. As a result, Starmer said his government aimed to deliver three 'fundamental changes'. 'First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces,' he said. 'Every part of society, every citizen of this country, has a role to play, because we have to recognise that things have changed in the world of today. The front-line, if you like, is here,' he added. Secondly, the prime minister insisted that UK defence policy will 'always be NATO first', and finally that the UK 'will innovate and accelerate innovation at a wartime pace so we can meet the threats of today and of tomorrow.' 'Blueprint for strength' The UK has been racing to rearm in the face of the threat from Russia and fears that US President Donald Trump will no longer help protect Europe. Starmer said it would serve as 'a blueprint for strength and security for decades to come', taking into account the increasing use of drones and artificial intelligence on the battlefield. His government pledged in February to lift defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027 in the 'largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War'. And despite budget constraints, it aims for spending to rise to three percent in the next parliamentary term, due in 2029. The Labour government has said it will cut UK overseas aid to help fund the spending. Based on the recommendations of the review, which was led by former NATO secretary general George Robertson, the government said Sunday that it would boost stockpiles and weapons production capacity, which could be scaled up if needed. This includes £1.5 billion ($2 billion) for building 'at least six munitions and energetics factories', procuring 7,000 domestically built long-range weapons, and spending £6 billion on munitions over the current parliamentary term. The government also said late Sunday that it would build up to 12 new attack submarines as part of its AUKUS military alliance with Australia and the United States. Currently the UK is set to operate seven nuclear-powered Astute Class attack submarines, which will be replaced by the 12 AUKUS submarines from the late 2030s. The defence ministry also said it would invest £15 billion in its nuclear warhead programme and last week pledged £1 billion for the creation of a 'cyber command' to help on the battlefield. China 'challenge' The last such defence review was commissioned in 2021 by the previous Conservative government, and was revised in 2023 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While launching the new review, Robertson said it would tackle threats from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, calling them a 'deadly quartet'. But in an op-ed article for The Sun newspaper, Starmer did not mention China, while warning that 'The Kremlin is working hand in hand with its cronies in Iran and North Korea.' The softer rhetoric on China is in line with the Labour government's efforts to thaw relations with Beijing, which reached new lows under former prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government. The review describes Russia as an 'immediate and pressing' threat, but calls China a 'sophisticated and persistent challenge', according to The Guardian. At a time when Washington is demanding that its NATO allies bolster their own defences, Britain is considering strengthening its deterrent by buying nuclear-missile capable aircraft from the United States, The Sunday Times reported.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Starmer's submarine push sounds impressive, but our nuclear deterrent remains in dire peril
Today, Sir Keir Starmer will pledge that the UK will raise the rate at which it builds submarines to one every 18 months. That sounds splendid, but like many grand government announcements it amounts to little more than a repackaging of what is already happening. At the moment, Britain is building the Astute class attack submarines. The contract for these was signed in 1997, almost three decades ago. The sixth boat is in the water but not yet in service and the seventh, now to be known as HMS Achilles after the King reportedly vetoed the name Agincourt, may be commissioned next year. Considered on that basis, these submarines will have taken an average of around four years each to acquire. So speeding up production to two every three years sounds very impressive. But that is to ignore the awful, painful gestation of the Astutes. Before starting work on them, Britain had not designed a new class of submarines for 20 years, and we had forgotten how to do it. After terrible, protracted struggles, cost overruns and delays, we basically had to get the Americans to show us how. A lot of design work was done in Connecticut, and at one stage an American employee of General Dynamics had to be brought in as Astute project director at our submarine yard in Barrow. The name ship of the class, HMS Astute, finally went into full Royal Navy service in 2014. Succeeding A-boats have arrived at shorter and shorter intervals since then: HMS Achilles may be, in fact, no more than 18 months behind HMS Agamemnon. The Astute class build problems were not the only issues we've had with our nuclear submarines. In 2010 Lord Cameron, then prime minister, delayed the replacement of our nuclear deterrent Vanguard class submarines to appease his peacenik Lib Dem coalition partners. The old V-boats have now been in service for more than thirty years, and they're starting to really show their age. They need replacing as a matter of urgency: it's now proving so difficult to get the next boat ready once one has gone out on patrol that our deterrent submariners are now routinely having to stay out for more than six months at a time. This can't go on for much longer. So right now we're already building submarines at a rate of one every eighteen months. It has long been not only the plan to ramp up submarine production to at least this level, but a critical national necessity. We must get the final Astute boats built and out of the way so that we can replace the creaking deterrent V-boats. So well done for stating all this clearly, Sir Keir. But let's not act as if this is new and all is well.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
How many nuclear submarines does the UK have – and are they ready for war?
Britain will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, Sir Keir Starmer will announce as he unveils his much-anticipated defence review. In a bid to 'ensure the UK rises to the challenge' of growing global security threats, the prime minister will say that the 130-page review is a 'radical blueprint' signalling a 'wave of investments' into military infrastructure and weaponry. An extra £15bn will be spent on new nuclear warheads for the UK's nuclear deterrent. The plans will significantly increase the UK's conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet, with the new vessels built under a joint deal with the US and Australia, known as the Aukus partnership. Here's all you need to know about the UK's fleet of nuclear-deterrent submarines, and the proposed plans for its future: How many submarines does the Royal Navy currently have? The Royal Navy currently operates nine submarines, including five Astute-class conventionally armed nuclear-powered attack vessels. The Astute class is Britain's largest and most advanced fleet of submarines. The remaining four are Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), which carry the UK's Trident nuclear missile system. A new group, the Dreadnought class, will be introduced in the early 2030s. These will be both nuclear-powered and ballistic missile-armed. How many submarines will the UK have in the future? Two further Astute-class submarines, HMS Agamemnon and HMS Agincourt, are set to enter service in late 2025 and late 2026 respectively. Agamemnon is currently going through trials with the Royal Navy as part of a test and commissioning programme, while Agincourt remains under construction. As part of the joint defence deal between the US, Australia and the UK - known as Aukus - the UK is set to significantly boost its fleet of submarines following the defence review. An added 12 submarines would bring the UK's fleet up to more than 20 in total. This remains far smaller than the US's fleet of 71, and China and Russia's fleets of 66 each. How powerful are the UK's submarines? The Astute class is the latest class of nuclear-powered attack submarines and is constructed by BAE Systems Submarines. Submarines of this class can fit dozens of weapons - up to 38 - and are armed with Tomahawk IV cruise missiles, which can strike targets at a range of well over 1,600km away. But the UK's nuclear deterrent is found in the four Vanguard-class boats, which use the Trident missile system. Each boat can carry up to 16 Trident missiles, which can carry up to 12 nuclear warheads each. The Dreadnought class will be both nuclear-powered and ballistic missile-armed. Where are they kept? The Royal Navy Submarine Service base is found in HMNB Clyde, in Scotland, known by Navy personnel as Faslane. It is 25 miles west of Glasgow and is found off the Firth of Clyde. The base is one of Scotland's largest employers, employing more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel. Situated in a relatively secluded area, the base sits among deep waters with quick access to submarine patrolling areas in the North Atlantic. What are they used for today? One of the key roles of the submarines is to act as the UK's nuclear deterrent. 'Our Vanguard class submarines - the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent force - are continually in operation: patrolling the world's oceans undetected, ready to strike at any time,' the Royal Navy website reads. 'Their presence alone sends the most powerful message to anyone who would do us harm,' it adds. With the Astute class of 'attack' or 'hunter-killer' submarines, the Royal Navy can attack surface vessels, other submarines, and targets hundreds of miles inland.
