Stealth beneath the seas

The Royal Navy’s largest and most powerful attack submarine, Astute, heralds a new age in naval capability.

Thanks to its Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor, Astute can circumnavigate the globe, underwater, and will never need to refuel during its planned 25-year life.

At 97 metres long and displacing 7,400 tonnes submerged, Astute is designed to be the quietest and most stealthy submarine of her type. She also carries more torpedoes and tube launched missiles than any previous class of Royal Navy submarine.

Astute has been a major project for Rolls-Royce.  The work included the design and manufacture of reactor cores, high pressure vessels and the innovative propulsor. The company’s scope of supply also includes Astute’s turbogenerator, flexible couplings and thrust block, and Rolls-Royce low voltage electrical systems distribute power throughout the submarine.

It has all been a complex engineering challenge, which has brought together specialist engineers working across a vast range of disciplines.  The result is one of the world’s most versatile submarines, designed to perform multiple deployments, from solo patrols to joint maritime operations, hundreds of metres below the surface.