HMS Audacious (S122)
 Audacious under construction in Barrow-in-Furness in July 2013 | |
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Audacious |
| Ordered: | May 2007 |
| Builder: | BAE Systems Submarine Solutions |
| Laid down: | 24 March 2009 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: S122 |
| Status: | Under construction |
| Badge: |
 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Astute-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 7,400 tonnes, submerged[1] |
| Length: | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Beam: | 11.3 m (37 ft) |
| Draught: | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Rolls-Royce PWR 2 reactor, MTU 600 kilowatt diesel generators |
| Speed: | Up to 30 knots (56 km/h), submerged[1] |
| Range: | Only limited by food and maintenance requirements. |
| Complement: | 98 (capacity for 109) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
|
| Armament: | 6 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes with stowage for up to 38 weapons:[2] |
HMS Audacious is the fourth Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy. Several previous vessels of the Royal Navy have borne the name. Long lead items for her construction were ordered on 28 August 2006 [3] although the actual order was not placed until 21 May 2007.[4] She was nearly halfway through her build programme as of December 2012.[5]
Some aspects of the later Astute class submarines will be different from boats 1-3, mostly related to the combat system—primarily the command, navigation and sonar systems. This is the first Royal Navy submarine which uses a shared computer environment for the different systems, common consoles and cabinets, and commercial "off-the-shelf" hardware and software, to reduce costs and improve maintainability. These changes have been back-fitted to boat 3, Artful; the eventual aim is to back-fit the "Common Combat System" to HMS Astute and Ambush, and progressively to the rest of the Royal Navy submarine fleet.[5]
Design
Nuclear power
Audacious's nuclear reactor will not need to be refuelled during the boat's 25-year service. Since the submarine can purify water and air, she will be able to circumnavigate the planet without resurfacing. The main limit is that the submarine will only be able to carry three months' supply of food for 98 officers and ratings.
Weapons
Audacious will have provision for up-to 38 weapons in six 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes:[6]
- Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles - range of 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometres)
- Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Astute Class". Royal Navy. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ↑ "UK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy". MoD. 27 Aug 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ↑ "New nuclear sub is lifeline for Barrow". BBC News Online. 2006-08-28. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
- ↑ "Royal Navy to Get New Attack Submarine". Royal Navy. 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 BAE Systems News, 10 December 2012
- ↑ Alien submarine breaks technical barriers BBC News. (7 May 2007).
External links
- Royal Navy HMS Audacious (royalnavy.mod.uk)
- Astute Class (naval-technology.com)
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