Dreadnought class submarine programme
Barrow-in-Furness, England · 2016 (first steel cut) - early 2030s (first in class expected to enter service) · £31 billion (2016 prices) for the programme; £10.12 billion (2024 prices) lifetime cost of the programme
The judgement call
Account action unavailableOfficial announcement in 2016 to name the first of class Dreadnought, and the class as Dreadnought class. - Contract awarded to Cammell Laird to manufacture 29 non-pressure hull sections. - Programme remains on track despite concerns about delays from Astute-class submarine construction.
Key engineering challenges
Maintaining continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD) by replacing the Vanguard class submarines. - Design and development of four new ballistic missile submarines. - Construction of 16 "units" later grouped into 3 "mega units" for assembly. - Potential delays due to extensions of the Barrow facility and Rolls-Royce factory for nuclear reactors.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Royal Navy
- Lead contractor
- BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- new build
- Scale
- Displacement: 17,200 tonnes (surfaced); Length: 153.6 m; Crew: 130
- Disciplines
- Naval architecture; nuclear engineering; marine engineering; systems engineering; ballistic missile systems integration
- Standards & frameworks
- —
Sources: Wikipedia: Dreadnought-class submarine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought-class_submarine) - Dreadnought Alliance: Programme (https://dreadnoughtalliance.co.uk/programme/)