The UK is going heavy on attack submarines, with plans to build 12 new ones

Yahoo

03-06-2025

The Royal Navy is building 12 new SSN-AUKUS attack submarines.
They're set to replace the UK's Astute-class attack submarines by the 2030s.
It comes as part of the UK government's bid to boost its armed forces amid rising global threats.
The UK plans to build 12 new attack submarines as part of sweeping plans to boost the country's military.
The Ministry of Defence said Sunday that the SSN-AUKUS vessels would be built as part of the UK's Strategic Review to enhance its military strength amid rising global threats.
They'll be deployed as part of the AUKUS alliance between the UK, Australia, and the US, with the submarines having been developed alongside the Australian navy.
"Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
He added: "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead programme on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering on our Plan for Change with 30,000 highly-skilled jobs across the country."
The submarines are set to replace the UK's current fleet of seven Astute-class attack submarines by the 2030s.
The Astute class submarines are nuclear-powered and carry Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, the UK government said.
The Naval Lookout analysis website described the new submarines as an "apex naval predator."
"In preparing for potential conflict with other states, SSNs are arguably the most important conventional assets the UK can deploy," it said, adding that they can be used to take out enemy vessels, create blockades, land special forces operatives, and gather intelligence.
But Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, told journalists that questions remain over how the target of building 12 submarines would be met on schedule.
"There is going to have to be a pretty major culture change within the forces, within the MOD and their relationship with industry to make that more viable," he said.
"I would be fascinated to know how they're going to do that because the record is not great up until now," he added.
The UK government has pledged to boost defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
Under the plans outlined in its latest Strategic Defence Review, released this week, it will also provide the equivalent of $20 billion in extra funding for the UK's nuclear weapons program.
Read the original article on Business Insider