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The ''Astute'' class is the latest class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in service of the British Royal Navy.〔(Astute Class ), Royal Navy. Retrieved 25 December 2014.〕 The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth. The boats are being constructed by BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness. Seven boats will be constructed. The first of class, ''Astute'', was launched in 2007 and commissioned in 2010, and the second, ''Ambush'', was launched on 6 January 2011, and commissioned on 1 March 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=HMS Ambush Officially Welcomed Into The Royal Navy )〕 ''Astute'' was declared fully operational in May 2014,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=HMS Astutue )〕 while both she and ''Ambush'' have sailed for their maiden deployments. The third of class, Artful, arrived on 19 August 2015 in HMNB Clyde for sea trials and is entering service later in 2015. ==Development== The Royal Navy has changed its submarine-employment strategy from the Cold War emphasis on anti-submarine warfare to the concept of "Maritime Contributions to Joint Operations." Approval for studies to define the "Batch 2 ''Trafalgar'' class" (what would become the ''Astute'' class) was given in June 1991. In July 1994 risk reduction studies were authorised in parallel with the formal bid phase of the project.〔National Audit Office (Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report 2008: Project Summary Sheets ) p.24〕 On 17 March 1997, the Ministry of Defence announced that it would place a £2 billion order for three submarines and that they would be called the ''Astute'' class. On 26 March 1997 the contract was signed with GEC-Marconi for the first three boats: ''Astute'', ''Ambush'' and ''Artful''. These names were last given to ''Amphion''-class submarines that entered service towards the end of World War II. GEC would build the submarines at its VSEL subsidiary (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions). Original plans were for seven boats of the ''Astute'' class to replace five ''Swiftsure''-class submarines (''Sovereign'', ''Superb'', ''Sceptre'', ''Spartan'', and ''Splendid'') and the two oldest ''Trafalgar''-class boats (''Trafalgar'' and ''Turbulent''). The ''Swiftsure'' class entered service between 1973 and 1977 and were entirely decommissioned by 2010, when only the first of the ''Astute'' class was coming into service. ''Trafalgar'' was decommissioned in December 2009, to be followed by ''Turbulent'' in 2011. An estimated 5,900 people are employed directly as a result of the project; 3,500 BAE Systems staff at Barrow and 2,400 other people around the UK. As of August 2006 BAE Systems was negotiating for a contract to build another four ''Astute''-class submarines (hulls four to seven). The fourth boat was ordered on 21 May 2007, to be called ''Audacious'', and the names of the other hulls have been agreed as ''Agamemnon'', ''Anson'', and ''Ajax''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=National Archive - Royal Navy - Careers - Live Chat )〕 On 15 September 2011 it was announced that hull 5 would now be named ''Anson''. Upon the beginning of sea trials of ''Astute'' in November 2009, it was reported that long-lead items for hulls five and six have been ordered, including their nuclear reactor cores, and that the stated intention of the MoD was for a total of seven ''Astute''-class submarines.〔("Britain's £1.3bn new sub ''Astute'' sets sail" ) ''The Independent'' (17 November 2009)〕 On 25 March 2010, BAE Systems was given the go-ahead by the government to begin construction on hulls 5 and 6, being given a £300 million contract for the "initial build" of hull five and "long lead procurement activities" for boat six. In the same week the government re-affirmed their commitment to the construction of seven ''Astute''-class submarines. Work on the second and third submarines, ''Ambush'' and ''Artful'', proceeded well with major milestones such as the closure of ''Ambush''s reactor compartment, demonstrating significant schedule advance compared with ''Astute''. BAE Systems and the MoD have made efforts to reduce costs and achieved significant cost-cutting and productivity gains. A £580 million cost increase was agreed in 2007 due to maturing of the design requiring more materials, inflationary costs, and "some programme throughput assumptions at the Barrow site not being borne out."〔 First-of-class HMS ''Astute'' was launched by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on 8 June 2007. The order of seven ''Astute''-class boats was confirmed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010. In December that year it was confirmed by the MoD that "early work" was under way on boats five and six. On October 13, 2011, the fifth boat, ''Anson'', was laid down at the Devonshire Dock Hall and is now under construction like boats three and four. On December 10, 2012 the MOD awarded BAE a £1.2 billion contract for work on ''Audacious''. The MOD also confirmed on the same date a further £1.5 billion funding for submarines ''Anson'', ''Agamemnon'' and ''Ajax''. The MOD Defence Equipment Plan 2012 refers to 'the completion of the remainder of the seven class of ''Astute'' attack submarines'.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=BAE Systems and DCNS to cooperate on Astute-class submarine programme )〕 On 19 November 2015 a further £1.3 billion contract for ''Anson'' was announced by the MoD. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Astute-class submarine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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