British Nuclear Submarine attack Flotilla visits Australia

The HMS Astute, a nuclear submarine deployed with HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Carrier Strike Group, has arrived in Perth, Australia to show off its naval strength.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and vessels assigned to her Carrier Strike Group have visited dozens of countries on the groups maiden deployment, you can read more about that here.

The Astute class are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel.

The class have provision for up-to 38 weapons in six 21-inch torpedo tubes. The submarines are capable of using Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles with a range of 1,000 miles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes.

For detecting enemy ships and submarines, the Astute class are equipped with the sophisticated Sonar 2076, an integrated passive/active search and attack sonar suite with bow, intercept, flank and towed arrays. BAE claims that the 2076 is the world’s best sonar system.

All of the Astute-class submarines will be fitted with the advanced ‘Common Combat System‘, the system acts as the submarine’s brain – controlling its ‘eyes’, ‘ears’ and ‘nervous system’.

UK Defense Journal / ABC Flash Point News 2021.