The exact number of Royal Navy SSN-AUKUS submarines procured to replace Britain’s Astute class will be decided before the end of 2028.
In last year’s Strategic Defence Review it was stated Britain plans to procure “up to 12” of the new nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) intended to enter service from the late 2030s.
The new class of vessels, which will also be fielded by the Royal Australian Navy in the 2040s, will be conventionally armed and are expected to displace more than 10,000 tonnes.
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise 2026 Annual Update to Parliament report published this week, states: “The SSN-AUKUS programme is currently progressing through the Detailed Design and Long Lead (D2L2) phase.
“Decisions on the total number of submarines to be procured are expected to be taken before the end of the D2L2 phase in 2028.”
The same report confirms steel is set to be cut on the first U.K. boat at BAE Systems in Barrow, Cumbria during 2027, and adds: “The programme remains focused on delivering the first Royal Navy SSN-AUKUS submarine into service in the late 2030s… the government is investing in the shipbuilding and industrial capacity required to support an expanded SSN fleet, with the objective of achieving a drumbeat of one submarine every 18 months.”
Meanwhile, work on the final boats of the preceding Astute-class submarines continues; the sixth boat, HMS Agamemnon, has completed her first trim dive, and construction on the seventh and final vessel, the future HMS Achilles, is ongoing, as per the report.
The update also states that HMS Astute, the lead boat of the class, has completed her first 15-year commission and is about to undergo her Mid-Life Re-Validation Period at HMNB Devonport.
Other updates in the same report include confirmation that the Dreadnought programme remains on track to deliver the first of the Vanguard replacement boats into service “in the early 2030s.”
It also details ongoing investment in ports, industrial infrastructure and supply chains, and ongoing work on the development of Astraea, the U.K.’s replacement nuclear warhead for its Trident missiles carried by Britain’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD).
A foreword by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting noted: “We are clear in our commitment to delivering the nuclear deterrent through a triple lock (guaranteeing that the UK will (i) build four Dreadnought submarines, (ii) maintain our nuclear deterrent, (iii) and commit to the delivery of all future upgrades required to ensure the safety and effectiveness of our submarines).”
- You can read more details on the U.K. Government website
