Astute Class: The Best Attack Submarine the US Navy Doesn’t Have

Summary and key points: Designed after the Cold War to replace the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar class, the Astute class submarines represent a groundbreaking technological leap forward.

-Originally the project was intended as the SSN20 project, but rising costs and the fall of the Soviet Union led to the cancellation of SSN20, leading to the development of the Astute class.

-These submarines are armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Block IV/V missiles and carry advanced sensors including the Astute Combat Management System and CM010 optronic masts.

– Thanks to acoustic tiles that mask sound, the Astutes offer unmatched stealth and combat capabilities, making them durable for decades.

How Britain’s Astute-class submarines redefined stealth and power

In 1986, the British Ministry of Defence began considering replacements for its ageing Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarine fleets. The replacement project, originally designated SSN20, was an extension of the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine emphasis, which had persisted throughout the Cold War. Accordingly, SSN20 was designed to match the capabilities of Soviet submarines of the era.

It featured improved nuclear propulsion, increased firepower, and more advanced sonar and combat systems. In designing SSN20, the British did what so many Cold War defense planners did: they ignored the cost of the program. Money was certainly not a constraint in building SSN20.

The collapse of the Soviet Union caused Britain, like America, to re-evaluate its spending priorities. Suddenly, price was a constraint. Suddenly, taxpayers had questions about the amount of money being spent on defense programs. In 1990, with the Soviet threat gone, the SSN-20 project was canceled. An alternative, cheaper submarine program emerged to replace the SSN-20 program.

In an effort to keep costs down and effectively replace the Trafalgar, the British began designing a new submarine that was a derivative of the Trafalgar. The new Batch 2 Trafalgar class, or B2TC, began production in June 1991.

Post-Cold War Designs

According to defense author Peter Suciu, the B2TC was “equipped with many technological firsts.” For example, “each boat is equipped with industry-leading sensors, carries Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and can sail underwater around the world, producing its own oxygen and drinking water.”

The Astute is designed to carry 38 weapons, including Spearfish and Tomahawk Block IV/V cruise missiles. The Tomahawk can hit targets with pinpoint accuracy from a range of up to 1,000 miles.

The Astute is also equipped with an improved version of the Submarine Command System: the Astute Combat Management System collects information from the ship’s sensors and displays the data in a clear format on command panels. This improves the crew’s situational awareness.

The Astute is equipped with Atlas Hydrographic DESO 25 high-precision echosounders and, unusually, is not equipped with a conventional periscope. Instead, it carries two CM010 non-hull-penetrating optronic masts. The CM010 provides crews with thermal imaging, low-light TV and colour CCD TV viewing options.

Conveniently, the Astute is equipped with over 39,000 acoustic tiles. These mask the acoustic signature, allowing the Astute to glide in silence.

Four Astute-class ships are already in service, with three more underway. Given how packed with new technology the Astute is, we can expect her to remain in service for decades to come.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 articles on issues relating to world affairs. Harrison has been a lawyer, a pilot, a guitarist, and a minor professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a pilot trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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