An Update on the HMS ASTUTE

Well, well, well. It is four years late and 900 million pounds over budget but finally, it's here.

More complex than a space shuttle, with a displacement of 7,400 metric tonnes (equivalent to 1000 double decker buses or 656 blue whales), a height of 12 storeys and 97m in length, this is truly a behemoth of the sea. The Royal Navy's newest super submarine, the HMS ASTUTE.

The Royal Navy touts the HMS ASTUTE as having the distinction of being the largest and deadliest hunter killer submarine ever built. (Please note that the Russians have bigger, though older submarines and the Americans have more advanced submarines, like the new Virginia Class, as such the ASTUTE platform intends to blend both size and technology into a single working platform.). It has several features that any navy would die for. It's advanced sonar is capable of detecting large ships up to 4,800km away! To put that into perspective, if the ASTUTE was lying in the English Channel, it could detect ships leaving New York harbour 3,000 nautical miles away ( although exactly how it does this is classified).

It is powered by a nuclear reactor that does not need refuelling for it's entire 25 year lifespan and as such, it could remain underwater for it's entire 25 year lifespan. (Except it has to come ashore for stores and supplies). It has a top speed in excess of 20 knots, meaning it can travel 312km a day. It can also dive to a depth of more than 150m. The submarine's propulsion system makes less noise than a baby dolphin which makes it stealthy. The submarine has the ability to make drinking water out of seawater and generate its own oxygen. Once it goes in operation in 2009, it will carry a 98 man crew and stay at sea for routine 12 weeks patrol. It also has 11 extra bunks for 'passengers' (Read: special forces soldiers on covert missions). Tow masts carrying thermal imaging and lowlight cameras replace the periscope and need only break surface for 3 seconds to give the captain a 360 degree picture. Six other masts service radar, satellite and navigation systems.

Weapons wise, the ASTUTE will carry 38 Tomahawk cruise missiles and an undisclosed number of Spearfish torpedoes for ship to ship encounters. The Tomahawks will have a range of 1,984 km which means the ASTUTE can attack targets in North Africa with incredible accuracy while still staying off the coast of Plymouth. However, an important thing to note here is that the ASTUTE will not be carrying any nuclear weapons. The Vanguard class of submarines remain Britain's preferred method of sea based nuclear launch platforms.

The HMS ASTUTE is built by BAE Systems at a cost of 960 million pounds each.

The question now is, do we actually need them?