I dont think the RAN will be going with astute even with a time factor consideration.
The UK hasn't got all its boats just yet Agamemnon and Agincourt are still in build at Barrow, yes they are in an advanced stage but the last boat is no where near ready to hit the water.
With that said now the last boat is in the advanced build stage preparations are being made to re tool to start building the dreadnoughts so from a supply chain standpoint restarting the line will be very costly from this point onwards as well as take time and possibly delay the dreadnought program.
It would make more sense for the RAN to jump on board the replacement program this would be cheaper and doesn't jeopardize other projects already on going.
The UK is not as blessed as the US in that we have just one ship yard capable of building a submarine so any delays or changes has a massive ripple effect for future builds.
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