SSN-Aukus: What could the Royal Navy's powerful future nuclear subs look like?

[@atompunk_cosmonaut]

As an American, I think it is great news that the UK and Australia will get to design a sub together using technology leveraged from both British and American sources. I think this will do great work to support industries in each of your countries (the UK and Australia) and serve to bolster your militaries both in an efficient and effective manner. It helps the US that we get to sell a few of our great Virginias, but ultimately I always thought Australia needed perhaps something more like the cost and manpower requirements of a "next-generation Astute" than a "next-generation Virginia". I definitely think that the submarine needs of Australia and the UK can be served well by designing something each of them can maximize utility on than what may very well be a very expensive next-gen Virginia or Block V Virginia (the one with the payload module). Besides, from what I've read, the Astute is a pretty darn good submarine in comparison to our very own Virginia. It just goes to show that you can design a perfectly capable and sometimes superior boat at a good deal less cost than what others (like us) invest. Hopefully brighter days will be ahead for all three of our militaries and industrial bases. Let's just hope that manufacturing keeps up with demand for both nations as here in the US we don't have a lot of spare capacity at two to three submarines per year being rolled out currently (plus all the other naval construction we continue to do).

[@trevorhart545]

Exactly. The key is BAe Manufacture the current ASTUTUE Class Boats. BAe Shipbuilding Australia, Osborn, Adelaide, are the current builders of the next generation Warship for the RAN. The day after the original announcement, last year,, the UK committed $300M to Rolls Royce and BAe to design a new Joint Sub for the RN & RAN. There are already some RAN onboard at least One ASTUTE Class Submarine now. The tripartite working is ideal. RAN need to maintain their US Electronics/Communications, which they will have and Australia will be building Nuclear Powered Subs in Australia. The ne w bases in Australia and the agreed stationing of US and UK Subs there is vital. All 3 are winners. The only new part was the agreement to sell 3 "used" or "run in" US Virginias to Australia. I think that both RN and USN will be hosting RAN Submariners for a few years while the Collins are withdrawn.

[@axle.australian.patriot]

No offense intended in any way towards the Virginia class, but I feel the slightly smaller Astute class is a far better fit for Australian requirements. Good for local approaches and still suitable for projection. I also believe the Astute in it's current form has a slight cruising speed advantage over the Virginia. We have an exceptionally long coastline, although a significant amount is shallow water. > Looking forward to the future of "Team AUKUS" :)

[@SCscoutguy]

@@trevorhart545 from what I have seen on the US news media the Virginia's that Australia will get will be brand new build submarines that will have components that are built in Australia. Australia is investing in the US submarine building program and is having many of their workers sent to US yards to learn how to build submarines so when the time comes to build the AUKUS submarines they will have the knowledge they need. With the added finances from Australia the US is going to increase their build schedule from having two submarines built a year up to three.

[@joebloggs-el3gv]

Above comments pretty well sum it up. USA at capacity, only add one more here or there, UK has a hull design that we like, so fit out a UK hull with USA components. Hopeful to build the SSN-AUKUS here in South Australia when that time comes (shipyards built, trained workers).

[@ADZ01982]

Aint delivering them for many years. Very real chance large manned submarines will become obsolete in terms of stealth and detection by then.

[@richardthornton3775]

A great result that the next generation SSN will be built for both the RAN & the RN. With all the links in this project, it should turn out pretty good 👍

[@santhoshnanjundarao1005]

Royal Navy Powerful Attack :- Uk , US defence is getting Stronger and Bonds between them is powerful

[@Longbyname]

The state of that beret!

[@rymorgo994]

Seriously needs some work 🤣

[@nemo6686]

Badge right above his nose and the guy to his left looked like he was facing a firing-squad!

[@georgegeorgakopoulos5956]

In Forces News We Trust

[@tams805]

1:42 'I hope mum doesn't watch this.'

[@JaneWalcott]

Every country is going to know every move on your submarine.

[@hazlinabdulhamid7461]

FPDA noted..✌️😊✌️🇬🇧🇦🇺🇸🇬🇲🇾🇳🇿

[@Nainara32]

Is there a distinction between an "attack submarine" and a "hunter killer submarine"?

[@BelloBudo007]

From Google - 'An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels'. Sounds the same to me.

[@warnpassion]

@@BelloBudo007 So basically they both are the same.

[@barrymiller3385]

Surely the RN needs to plan for more than 7 AUKUS boats to replace the 7 Astutes. 12 would be excellent but at least a minimum of 9. Design wise I would imagine something very similar to the Astute but with and extended central section containing (say) a dozen vertical launch tubes for cruise (and/or other) missiles. I wonder if there is any way production in Barrow can be speeded up?

[@advanceaustralia9026]

BAE are hiring thousands of additional workers. They are buying up land and building new facilities. The SSNR won’t be a great deal different from Astute. Barrow will be able to build boats very quickly. Ideally launch a new SSNR each year from 2038.

[@kingdedede1066]

probably 8 is more realistic

[@barrymiller3385]

@@kingdedede1066 Probably 7 is even more realistic! Or, at least likely. It depends how seriously our government takes its responsibilities. I can't say I'm optimistic. There are so many demands on our subs I don't see how we can realistically function with fewer than nine.

[@daviddou1408]

Should be great, we have 6 subs, with only one operable. Consider that between China, Russia and North Korea they have around 180.

[@bishal-max]

Rule the waves again 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@father-of-porkistan]

😂😂😂 With what would you rule ? 70 Victorian era ships 😂😂

[@tooroptube4980]

So glad the British are on the US side. Look at James Bond.

[@jasonharryphotog]

Good allies work well together Unlike the alternative lot who stamp their feet

[@HeroTeens88]

treat to indonesia.... come get me in call of war

[@ThatCarGuy]

I remember getting in to a argument with one of the known trolls here about this, told them they would select the Virginia class over the Astute, wonder where they are now lol.

[@trevorhart545]

A certain person said last year ASTUTE and why. Then last week the same person said they will be All Virginia and Why. The Australian PM told us at the Original News Conference that the Subs will be built by BAe Australia, at Osborn, Adelaide. BAe, builders of the ASTUTE are not going to build US Subs!

[@warone100]

@@trevorhart545 video says they’ll “sell” aus 3 Virginia class subs. Does that mean build or sell used. They’ll b a stop gap before the aukus subs are ready with an astute based model resembling a dreadnought with rolls Royce reactors and stealth with US vls and tomahawk technology. Parts will be built in uk us and assembled in aus I take it

[@SCscoutguy]

I was always under the impression that if the subs did end up getting built in Australia that they would be the UK design just for the simple fact that Australia does not have the population to support an entire fleet of crews for the Virginia class. The UK subs are smaller and require less manpower which makes more sense for Australia. It actually makes sense for them to operate three block 4 Virginia's alongside their AUKUS class for a decade or so. It gives them the best of both worlds.

[@TheBooban]

@@SCscoutguy we don’t know if the AUKUS class will have fewer crew like the Astutes. We do know that the subs will be bigger, based off the Dreadnought class. Manpower is not the problem. It’s the enticements to be submariners. Young men would prefer to be a submariner than an Amazon or food delivery worker given the right recruitment drive.

[@TheBooban]

They didn’t select the Astute over the Virginia class. New UK sub. Which was entirely foreseeable. UK brought the Australians into AUKUS. The deal was made from day 1.

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Nuclear submarines are no good for the Aussies, you can't have a BBQ on the deck.

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Just put the steak in the reactor. Problem solved.

[@IC3XR]

Who said I can’t throw some prawns on a nuclear reactor?

[@spacedonkey3412]

Can always have throttle spuds ;)

[@julesmarwell8023]

DONT YOU worry. an aussie will find out how to fix it

[@axle.australian.patriot]

@@chuckmaddison2924 lol, I was just about to say, who needs a BBQ when you got nuclear kooker like that :P We will have to change our old saying "kookin with gas" to "Kookin with alpha" :D

[@alanbstard4]

Nuke subs are not as quiet as conventional when latter runs on electric. Conventional boats better for South China sea due to shallowness, and they can be forward deployed in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, and Port Blair. Australia need a mixed fleet of both Nuke and conventional boats. Interoperability is BS. It's all about profit for USA industrial complex. The 3 countries have always worked well as allies in the past with different technologies. Better off getting LEU boats from France which don't need specialist shore facilities

[@ralfhexham2847]

Can they stop the dinghies?

[@anecdotal_mattybs5435]

Can they stop propaganda that refugees are inherently evil?

[@alanmurphy30]

yes, if they surface underneath a dingy, it will get stuck on the hull. Then they can sail back to the where they came from. Genuinely hope it is not a bad war-torn country. if not, and they can legitimately stay, Gary Lineker probably has more than a few spare rooms

[@josef596]

They could, but they’re not interested.

[@advanceaustralia9026]

Once the Trudeau regime is driven from power in Canada, expect more orders for SSNR. 12 RN 8 RAN 8 RCN 28 of these awesome boats will put the Fear of God into the PLA-Navy

[@steveh5005]

Great yet we defend Pacific. Yet not Dover or Northern Ireland.

[@saundyuk]

Well until someone decides its legal to launch torpedos at dinghies, I guess you'll just have to get over it.

[@blizzard5657]

Australia doesn't have the crew to man eight Virginia submarines, I thought that they would just buy the Astute class submarines, but the government want to build submarines in Adelaide, it will take time to build the first AUKUS submarines, so the British and American sailors will just have to get used to living in paradise WA,

[@dannyblackwell2426]

we still got to build 2 more astute they wont be ready till 2030s anyway. lets hope they wont be retired early just after 10 years LOL

[@robertpatrick3350]

The 30yr astute program was to ensure that the skilled workforce wasn’t lost, when the last boats have entered service the originals will only have a few years being replaced by the aukus boats, Britains boat building capacity is designed around sustaining capabilities rather than boom and bust that a fast build program would cause.

[@SCscoutguy]

@@robertpatrick3350 this is exactly right. When the UK went to design/build the Astute they had loads of problems because they had not built a new sub in 10+ years and had lost their skilled workforce. They had to end up hiring Electric Boat to come in from the US and partially redesign the submarine using modern methods and reorganize their yards. This is the same reason the US Army buys 1 M1 Abrams tank a month in order to keep the Lima tank plant open and retain that skilled work force.

[@TheBooban]

@@SCscoutguy yes, and with the Australians upping the total numbers, it will be more sustainable. Hopefully, they will specialize manufacturing, so half of every boat is made in both in countries.

[@SCscoutguy]

@@TheBooban if I had to guess the UK boats will be completely built in the UK. The Australian boats will start out with the first one being built in the UK and then each one afterwords will have more Australian built content and assembled in Australia with the goal to have only the reactor section made in the UK and the rest in Australia. Who knows if it will end up working out that way. The Collins class was an absolute disaster for so many years. I hope this program goes much smoother.

[@WiseOwl_1408]

Likely Islamic if you look at UK demographics

[@Tony2438]

What tots;l garbage the replacement for the nuclear is a Dreadnought-class submarine I don't know what the claptrap he is talking about?

[@axle.australian.patriot]

They are looking at a combined Astute like design to be shared amongst Australia and the UK. Built in the UK and Australia with US tech. Non nuclear weapons.

[@tams805]

No. What on earth are you on about?

[@jensonkiin3678]

The only garbage/claptrap being spoken is by your very fine self. The Dreadnaught-class is the one-for-one replacement of the Vanguard-class SSBNs. SSN-AUKUS (previously SSN[R]) is the planned replacement of the Astute SSNs of which the lead boat will be 30 years old by the time she's replaced.

[@Tony2438]

You have no clue what you are talking about. There is plenty of information for you to understand the fact that you do not know what you are talking about. This is one of the worst cases of ignorance. I have probably seen it won't take you five minutes to look

[@jensonkiin3678]

@@Tony2438 I'm sorry are you being deliberately obtuse or are you simply a complete moron? Dreadnaught is replacing Vanguard, SSN-AUKUS is replacing Astute. How is that so difficult to grasp?