Astute submarine

Is there any information about non-acoustic detection and tracking systems being installed on the A-boats?
 
Afaik the last meaningful look at a UK non acoustic sensor was when Turbulent (iirc, certainly one of the T's) was caught with some onboard, safe to assume the UK is still toying with the idea but no indication that is has reached operational service yet.
 
EWPT2 said:
Afaik the last meaningful look at a UK non acoustic sensor was when Turbulent (iirc, certainly one of the T's) was caught with some onboard, safe to assume the UK is still toying with the idea but no indication that is has reached operational service yet.
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Been some speculation the Astutes have a more compact version directly integrated on retractable masts compared to the external equipment fitted on HMS Talent in 2019 and pictured in 2020/21 which might have been to assist in calibration or that is was testing a more extensive equipment suite intended for the AUKUS class.
 
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I'm not comfortable with the last Astute class being renamed Achilles - not with Agamemnon already in the fleet (OK, I'm joking). Arthur would be a good name, I think. The obvious reference would be King Arthur, but also there's Arthur Wellesley, better known as the first Duke of Wellington. His nickname, the Iron Duke, has a rich history in the Royal Navy, why not use his given name with its legendary allusion? If the French complain about Waterloo, just say it was because of the strange woman lying in a pond who gave away a sword.
 
aonestudio said:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hms-agamemnon-completes-first-dive
https://twitter.com/x/status/1977673966409093323
View: https://x.com/SDA_mod/status/1977673966409093323
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The ballast tank venting makes it look like microthrusters on a space capsule :)

HMS Agamemnon.jpg

sparky42 said:
All hulls are back alongside…
https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy-attack-submarine-fleet-update-all-boats-alongside/
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It is NOT normal for all boats in a 5-hull fleet to be in dock at the same time. Especially a fleet that carries strategic importance like the SSNs, in a Navy that's been operating nuclear-powered boats for several decades at this point.

Yea, there are infrastructure problems with the dockyards but I'm left to wonder how much of this is down to the reactor problems they've supposedly been having. PWR2 is the first naval reactor that's UK-designed (earlier PWR1 was directly derived from US designs). If I was a betting man, I'd say that while they may have absorbed plenty of 'know-how' from the Americans, the level of their 'know-why' knowledge might still be nascent. And I think that's what is showing.

Just as well, considering they're going back to seeking direct US assistance for the upcoming PWR3 (publicly known to be derived from the Virginia-class's S9G), meant for Dreadnought-class & SSN-AUKUS. So it seems they've abandoned trying to acquire that know-why through iterative R&D, probably due to cost reasons. Otherwise they wouldn't be taking that step back after already designing their own reactor once.

Anyway that's my 2-cent analysis of a program I really don't know much about, more knowledgeable members can offer better perspective on the reactor situation.

BonPlan2 said:
Just compare to the french situation, with a smaller fleet....
What a pity.
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RN and their CASD posture are lucky that France has agreed to lend Suffren-class boats to protect/delouse Vanguard-class SSBNs as they head in & out.
 

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