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.

[Rockstar]

Well. its my feeble understanding it costs us about $2 billion to build one. If what they say is true that the U.K. will save about 10 billion a year after they leave the E.U. There's five new boats right there.


Just don't let Germany build them otherwise you'll get something which serves no purpose.

[moose1am]

What is that thing on the tail end of this submarine? that thing will DRAG in the water if it stays in the shape and position. Don't they know about tail drag in water? Surely that thing is temporary or can change position to prevent it from dragging in the water. Someone fill me in on what that vertical structure on the end of the sub is for.

[Rockstar]

Well, if you look closely at the prop wash and wake. That big thing on the tail would be called a rudder

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Just don't let Germany build them otherwise you'll get something which serves no purpose.

Serious, no nation is not bancrupt these days, and only pays its bills by tricking the public, betrayal, and delayed bancrupcty. That a nation overspends somenwhere slightly less than before, does not mean it has won a "proifit" that can be understood as a surplus in benefits. It only means that raising existing debts for the moment increases slightly less fast than usual.

Honestely said I am deeply worried by now for the time in lets say 2-3 years. We have reached once again the point where a massive new earthquake can rattle the financial sector and stock markets just any day. Two days, two months, two years - I dare no prediction anymore. Just that it will be much worse than 2007/2008 - back then all what was possible to be thrown into the battle was needed to prevent the system from blowing apart at all directions. This time the stakes are even higher, and reserves are even smaller in influence. This time it could become the real big one. Really, its scaring. States will become very creative in blackmailing more value reserves from their subjects once impact has happened.

5 new submarines? From where? Out of nowhere, like all the other book money? Seen that way, the Germans building subs for no purpose sounds almost consequent.

[Catfish]

^ the german submarines serve the purpose of sinking virtual US carriers in hypothetical digital scenarios of equally hypothetical manoeuvres, trying to imitate an enemy, for the lack of the latter.


If they were combat-ready, it would be too expensive to really use them

[ikalugin]

The SSN class that generates the biggest threat to Russia is Virginia class, through the strength of numbers.

Astutes, while advanced and capable, are few and spread thin across global comitments.

Land attack capability of Astute is meh.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by moose1am

What is that thing on the tail end of this submarine? that thing will DRAG in the water if it stays in the shape and position. Don't they know about tail drag in water? Surely that thing is temporary or can change position to prevent it from dragging in the water. Someone fill me in on what that vertical structure on the end of the sub is for.

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Well, if you look closely at the prop wash and wake. That big thing on the tail would be called a rudder

Precisely and in the picture in #1 she is turning to port giving the impression the rudder is quite wide/broad which in fact it is not.

[Mr Quatro]

Thank you for those images Neal and Jim

Notice that the bottom part of the rudder is not the same size as the top part ...

yet the size of the rudder on the bottom does not extend beyond the bottom of the hull either, which would be the case if the rudder was of the same size as the top one.

What is that shroud around the prop for? I've noticed it on USN Virginia class and Russian submarines also.

Does it have anything to do with cavitation?

[Rockstar]

Tug boats and as the pic shows above subs too have what's called a Kort Nozzle, its more about efficiency than it is about anti-cavitation

[Subnuts]

Oops, look like someone leaked all of the design specifications to the Russians.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Subnuts

Oops, look like someone leaked all of the design specifications to the Russians.

I held back posting that because I had a hunch you might of

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

I held back posting that because I had a hunch you might of

Is that a real manual from Haynes or just a spoof ? I ask because The Astute Sub I bought at a garage sale has a broken " flux capacitor " and no one here wants to do the warranty work and Doc Brown aka Christopher Lloyd doesn't make house calls.

They tell me it has to go back to England.

[Jimbuna]

^ Tis real matey https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astute-Clas.../dp/1785210718

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

^ Tis real matey https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astute-Clas.../dp/1785210718

I thought it was a joke. I'm don't know how detailed the manual is with regards to specifications but I wouldn't be opposed to the publisher being drawn and quartered for leaking anything that is / was classified .