The Astute Class Submarine: The Biggest Threat to the Russian Navy?

[Onkel Neal]

Since the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought in 1963, the Royal Navy has maintained a formidable force of nuclear attack submarines. Indeed, HMS Conqueror is the only nuclear attack submarine (SSN) to ever sink an enemy warship in anger. But the Royal Navy has undergone a transformational crisis over the past decade, shrinking in size and changing in composition. The latest nuclear attack subs, the Astute class, have become a critical component of the future of the Royal Navy—but, given Russia’s resurgence, are they enough?

The RN took a design pause, and eventually produced a larger submarine—one more suited to multipurpose operations, including land attack.