The ''Dreadnought'' class is the future replacement for the ''Vanguard'' class of

ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN � ...

s. Like their predecessors they will carry Trident II D-5 missiles. The ''Vanguard'' submarines entered service in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

in the 1990s with an intended service life of 25 years. Their replacement is necessary if the

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is to maintain a continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD), the principle of operation behind the Trident system. Provisionally named "Successor" (being the successor to the Vanguard class SSBNs), it was officially announced in 2016 that the first of class would be named ''Dreadnought'', and that the class would be the ''Dreadnought'' class. The next three boats will be called ''Valiant'', ''Warspite'' and ''King George VI''.

Background

Since the retirement of the last

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WE.177 nuclear bomb in 1998, the British nuclear arsenal has been wholly submarine-based. It is intended to deter a potential enemy because they cannot ensure eliminating the entire stockpile in a first strike if a

remains undetected. Since the

Strategic Defence Review The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of ...

(SDR), the UK has maintained a stockpile of around 215 warheads, with around 120 active (usable). Under the continuous at sea deterrence policy, at least one SSBN is kept on patrol with up to 16

Trident missile The Trident missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV). Originally developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation, the missile is armed with thermon ...

s sharing up to 48 warheads from the stockpile at any given time. The SDR considered this was the minimum number of warheads adequate for deterrence. It is collectively known as the Trident system. The majority of this system is based in

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(HMS ''Neptune''), which includes the

Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). ...

home of the ''Vanguard'' submarines, and at

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. The oldest ''Vanguard''-class submarine had been expected to remain in service until 2019 without a refit. Since 1998, the system has also provided the Government with the option of a lower-yield, "sub-strategic" nuclear strike capability. Under both the

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and the

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, the total number of warheads for the submarine on patrol will be 40 and the maximum total number of ballistic missiles will be 8.

Decision

In May 2011 the government approved the initial assessment phase for the new submarines and authorised the purchase of long lead-time items including steel for the hulls. In May 2015 the

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won the UK General Election on a manifesto which included a commitment to maintaining a CASD with four Successor submarines. The final decision to commit to the Successor programme was approved on 18 July 2016 when the

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voted to renew Trident by 472 votes to 117. Successor generated controversy because of its cost, and because some political parties and campaign groups such as the

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(CND) and

Trident Ploughshares Trident Ploughshares (originally named Trident Ploughshares 2000) is an activist anti-nuclear weapons group, founded in 1998 with the aim of ''" beating swords into ploughshares"'' (taken from the Book of Isaiah). This is specifically by attempting ...

oppose the retention of CASD or any nuclear weapons by the UK on moral or financial grounds.

Construction

Construction started in late 2016 at the

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shipyard operated by

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, when the first submarine was provisionally expected to enter service in 2028. The start of construction of the second phase was announced in May 2018. , the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

(MoD) expects the first submarine to enter service in the early 2030s. Total programme cost is expected to be £31 billion. The submarines will have an intended service life of around 35 to 40 years, an increase of around 50% over the previous class. The MoD said in December 2018 that construction of the first submarine was on schedule and within budget. In April 2021, ''The Sunday Times'' reported that delays on the ''Astute'' class submarines may impact the ''Dreadnought'' class, which will be built in the same dock hall. Related concerns are a 19 month delay to an extension of the Barrow facility and a five year delay to a

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factory which will build the nuclear reactors. However, the Ministry of Defence commented that "the Dreadnought programme remains on track to deliver to schedule, with the first in class expected to enter service in the early 2030s."

Boats of the class

References

External links

*
Government White Paper Cm 6994 ''The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent'' (December 2006)
{{Strategic nuclear weapon systems of the United Kingdom United Kingdom defence procurement 2000s in the United Kingdom 2010s in the United Kingdom Trident (UK nuclear programme) Nuclear submarines of the Royal Navy Submarine classes Ballistic missile submarines