BAE Systems Company signed a contract worth 315 million pounds with the UK Ministry of Defence for ongoing design work for the replacement to the Royal Navy’s Vanguard class submarines.
BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines Managing Director John Hudson said:
“The design of a nuclear-powered submarine is one of the most complex and technically demanding engineering programmes undertaken by the maritime industry. This further work underlines the MoD’s confidence in our ability to deliver a design that will meet the future needs of the nation’s nuclear deterrent”
“The design phase is gathering momentum, and behind the scenes we are working hard to maintain this by ensuring we have the correct skills and resources in place. While more than 1,000 people are involved in the programme, we continue to recruit many more professional design engineers.”
As described by the Royal Navy, the four Vanguard-class submarines – the Royal Navy’s ‘bombers’ – form the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent force. Each of the four boats has 16 missile tubes and is armed with Trident 2 D5 nuclear missiles; each missile is capable of delivering up to 12 warheads more than 4,000 miles with an accuracy measured in meters.
Based at Clyde Naval Base in Scotland, the submarines are deceptively big – almost the same length as the flight deck of HMS Illustrious – and like all RN submarines are steam-powered, their reactors converting water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff,November 2, 2012; Image: BAE Systems