BAE Systems starts construction of 3rd Dreadnought class submarine.

According to a PR published by BAE Systems on February 9, 2023, the company has marked the start of construction of the third Dreadnought Class submarine, Warspite, at its shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
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Steel cutting ceremony of the third Dreadnought class submarine. (Picture source: BAE Systems)

Warspite is the third of four Dreadnought Class ballistic missile submarines being designed and built by BAE Systems. Due to enter service from the early 2030s, the boats will carry the UK's nuclear deterrent and be the biggest, most powerful and technically advanced submarines ever delivered to the Royal Navy. Construction of the first two boats, Dreadnought and Valiant, is already well underway.

Alongside the Dreadnought Class, BAE Systems is delivering seven Astute Class hunter killer submarines, four of which are in-service with the Royal Navy. Design and concept work is also underway on the Submersible Ship Nuclear Replacement (SSNR) programme, the eventual replacement to the Astute Class.

About the Dreadnought class

The Dreadnought-class submarines are expected to be larger and more advanced than their Vanguard-class predecessors. They are expected to enter service in the 2030s. The construction of the first boat, HMS Dreadnought, began in 2016, and the next three boats are expected to enter service in the 2040s.

The Dreadnought-class submarines are nuclear-powered and have a displacement of 17,200 tons. They are 153.6 meters long and have a beam of 12.8 meters.

They are powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR3 nuclear reactor and have a turbo-electric drive and a pump-jet propulsion system, which provides them with a range limited only by food and mechanical components.

The submarines have a complement of 130 crew members and are equipped with 4 torpedo tubes for Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and 12 ballistic missile tubes for up to 12 Lockheed Trident II D5 SLBMs, each carrying up to 8 warheads.