![The first Astute-class nuclear submarine is brought out of the Devonshire Dock Hall at the BAE Systems production plant in Barrow-in-Furness, England, June 8, 2007. The new submarine, the first of four, was named HMS Astute by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. [Paul Ellis/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2022/10/25/38140-000_dv196247-700_496.webp)
Major advances in UK submarine capabilities are improving the defensive postures of US and NATO forces and enabling them to expand capabilities throughout the world amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing concern over China's and Iran's regional interference.
The Royal Navy on August 31 commissioned the HMS Anson, the latest Astute-class submarine.
At 97 metres long and with a displacement of 7,800 tonnes, the nuclear-powered submarine is the fifth of seven in the Astute class.
The sixth and seventh boats are at an advanced stage of construction in Barrow-in-Furness, England.
![USS West Virginia, a US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, is seen here at an undisclosed location in international waters in the Arabian Sea on October 19. [CENTCOM]](/cnmi_am/images/2022/10/25/38154-uss-ohio-700_496.webp)
USS West Virginia, a US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, is seen here at an undisclosed location in international waters in the Arabian Sea on October 19. [CENTCOM]
The Astute-class submarines are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel, according to manufacturer BAE Systems.
"The 320-foot [97.5 metres] long submarine can reportedly glide through the water with no more noise than a baby dolphin, thanks to its state-of-the-art anti-acoustic tiles, while its sonar system can detect objects from 3,000 nautical miles [5,556km] away -- the distance between the English Channel and New York City," Peter Suciu wrote for the National Interest in July 2020.
"Its nuclear reactor, which has a 25-year life, can be used to recycle air and water, which allows the boat to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing."
The range and duration of the class are limited only by the amount of food onboard for the crew.
"As with the other Astute class boats, HMS Audacious can also deploy Special Boat Service teams -- which operate in a manner similar to US Navy SEALS -- while submerged," Suciu wrote.
Each of the boats comes equipped with the aptly named Astute Combat Management System, noted the military news website 1945.
"This can show real-time images of adversarial shipping from its sophisticated sonar -- an application that uses real-time data and algorithms for a detailed picture of the undersea or surface battle space."
"It can search the horizon and get a 360-degree view without using an optical periscope," the website added.
Armaments
The boats can carry 38 missiles or torpedoes, and the Astutes are -- along with the last remaining Trafalgar-class submarine, which the Astutes are meant to replace -- the only vessels currently in British service that can fire Tomahawk land-attack missiles (TLAM).
At 5.6 metres long and weighing a little more than two tonnes, Tomahawk missiles travel at just shy of the speed of sound, striking targets with pinpoint precision at ranges of up to 1,000 miles (1,609km).
The version in use, the Block IV, can be directed at a new target in mid-flight, and can also beam back images of the battlefield to its mother submarine.
Under a £265 million ($300 million) improvement programme, all Astute-class boats will receive upgraded Block V Tomahawk missiles, the Royal Navy announced in June.
Improvements over the older Block IV missiles include greater ability to block attempts to jam or divert the Tomahawk from its target.
The upgrade will also modernise the command systems on the boats and support on shore to meet the demands and requirements of the enhanced Tomahawk.
The first upgraded Tomahawks are expected to be delivered by 2024, with a test firing by an Astute-class boat scheduled for the following year.
The Astute class also carries the Spearfish torpedo, which weighs almost two tonnes and is capable of blasting enemy submarines or ships out of the water, according to the Royal Navy.
At full speed, a Spearfish torpedo can attack a target up to 14 miles (22.5km) away. At low speed, that increases to more than 30 miles (48km).
The torpedo is guided either by a copper wire or closes on to its target using its inbuilt sonar, delivering a 660lb (299kg) explosive charge.
That detonates either when it strikes the hull of an enemy submarine or when set off by an acoustic proximity fuse underneath the target.
Expanding operations
As Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues to cause many repercussions around the world, including soaring energy costs and increasing famine, it also indirectly strengthened NATO's defence posture in Europe.
NATO allies have ramped up patrols in waters normally handled by the US Navy, enabling the United States to put a greater focus elsewhere.
The expected ascension of Sweden and Finland into NATO will also add their naval arsenals to the communal defence posture and lighten the US Navy's load in Europe.
Sweden in June laid the keel of the new Blekinge submarine -- the lead boat in the Blekinge class of two, with delivery expected in 2027 or 2028.
Also in June, France commissioned the lead boat of the Suffren-class (Barracuda-class) nuclear submarine, the Suffren.
These new platforms mean that the US Navy can shift its attention to new hotspots, including the Arabian Sea, which has seen its strategic importance grow in recent years.
The US Navy's Ohio-class submarines are among the most powerful submarines in the world, and would significantly enhance the US global posture and help achieve surprise in a potential conflict in the Arabian Sea, where tensions have been simmering.
The Arabian Sea is the waterway that all Iranian ships must pass to reach world ports, and a key link in China's "string of pearls".
Iran has long threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and attack maritime vessels in the event of war.
Meanwhile, China's massive infrastructure drive to connect its mainland to the Horn of Africa via a network of military and commercial facilities in recent years has raised concerns.
Its sea lines run through major maritime choke points including Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea; the Strait of Malacca, between the Indian and Pacific oceans; the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf; and the Lombok Strait, between the islands of Bali and Indonesia.
Beijing's global infrastructure drive, known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or One Belt, One Road (OBOR), continues inland, reaching other parts of the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.
China's ostensibly commercial projects serve a dual purpose, allowing its rapidly growing military to expand its reach, warn critics.
First, this article, which isn’t actually an article but information to scare the enemies, including Russia which the West has turned into an enemy and started to attack, is part of the overall aim of intimidating Russia. Second, in the article, it is mentioned that Russia attacked Ukraine without a justification. The question here is: is the growth of the Right and its likes in Ukraine a justification? Does the shelling of Donbas cities for 8 years constitute a justification? It is, then, a war in which Western countries tend to complete what they destroyed during WWII in Nazi Germany and to make it a new Nazi state to re-arm it to destroy Russia. I say that this trend is very dangerous for Planet Earth because Russia is different from Nazi Germany due to its humanitarian inclinations. However, when it’s a war against its own existence, it will turn into a monster with its weapons that nobody can imagine.
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