Naval Technology

UK launches penultimate Astute-class SSN, HMS Agamemnon

A total of seven Astute-class submarines will enter UK Royal Navy service, replacing the incumbent Trafalgar-class boats.

UK naval and defence prime BAE Systems has launched HMS Agamemnon, the sixth of seven Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) to be built for the Royal Navy, at the company’s submarine shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness.

Displacing 7,400 tonnes and 97m long, the Astute-class are the latest generation of SSNs developed for the UK Royal Navy, intended to replace the long-serving Trafalgar-class boats.

According to a BAE Systems release on 3 October, the future HMS Agamemnon will now begin the next phase of its test and commissioning programme before leaving Barrow for sea trials with the Royal Navy.

Steve Timms, managing director of BAE Systems Submarines, said the launch was a “significant milestone” for the programme and the Royal Navy.

"Submarines are a vital component of the UK's defence capabilities and we must now work collectively to ensure Agamemnon is ready to join her sister submarines in service with the Royal Navy,” Timms stated.

The first five submarines in the class, HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, HMS Audacious, and HMS Anson, have been handed over to the Royal Navy. Work is underway inside the Devonshire Dock Hall on the final boat, the future HMS Agincourt.

Astute-class SSNs: attack element of the Silent Service

The Astute-class SSNs are the largest and most advanced attack submarines ever built for the Royal Navy and typically perform stealth surveillance operations for extended periods, sometimes several months at a time.

The class also perform protection duties for the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) that house the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

HMS Anson departing BAE Systems' site in Barrow for Scotland in 2023, where it would undertake further sea trials. Credit: UK MoD/Crown copyright

Armed and equipped with Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, the Astute class first entered service with HMS Astute in 2010. The future HMS Agamemnon is expected to enter service in late-2025, followed by the seventh and final boat in class, HMS Agincourt, in late-2026.

BAE Systems’ Barrow site is also manufacturing the new Dreadnought-class SSBNs for the UK Royal Navy, which will replace the incumbent Vanguard-class boats.

The site will also be used to manufacture the first AUKUS-SSN series of nuclear-powered attack submarines being developed for the UK and Australian navies.