Vanguard-class submarine

	HMS Vanguard at Faslane, 2010
Class overview
Builders	Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness, England
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Resolution class
Succeeded by	Dreadnought class
Cost	£12.15 billion for 4 units (1995/6); £3.04 billion per unit;
Built	1986–1998
In service	1993–present
Completed	4
Active	4
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
Displacement	Submerged: 15,900 t (15,600 long tons; 17,500 short tons)
Length	149.9 m (491 ft 10 in)
Beam	12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draught	12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	1 × Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor,; 2 × GEC turbines; 27,500 shp (20.5 MW); 1 × shaft, pump jet propulsor; 2 × auxiliary retractable propulsion motors; 2 × Allen turbo generators (6 MW); 2 × Paxman diesel alternators; 2,700 shp (2.0 MW);
Speed	Over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), submerged
Range	Limited only by food and mechanical components
Complement	135
Sensors and ; processing systems	BAE Systems SMCS; Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band navigation radar; Thales Underwater Systems Type 2054 composite sonar suite comprising: ; Marconi/Ferranti Type 2046 towed array sonar ; Type 2043 hull-mounted active and passive search sonar ; Type 2082 passive intercept and ranging sonar; Pilkington Optronics CK51 search periscope; Pilkington Optronics CH91 attack periscope;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	Two SSE Mk10 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys; RESM Racal UAP passive intercept;
Armament	4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes for:; Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes; 16 × ballistic missile tubes for:; 8–16 Lockheed Trident II D5 SLBMs (carrying up to 8 warheads each);

The Vanguard class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Royal Navy.^[2] The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme, and comprises four vessels: Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance, built between 1986 and 1999 at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, now owned by BAE Systems.^[3] All four boats are based at HM Naval Base Clyde (HMS Neptune), 40 km (25 mi) west of Glasgow, Scotland.

Since the decommissioning of the Royal Air Force WE.177 free-fall thermonuclear weapons during March 1998, the four Vanguard submarines are the sole platforms for the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons.^[4] Each submarine is armed with up to 16 UGM-133 Trident II missiles. The class is scheduled to be replaced starting in the early 2030s with the Dreadnought-class submarine.^[5]^[6]

^ Hartley (PDF) Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine nuclearinfo.org
^ Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine, royalnavy.mod.uk
^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
^ Strategic Defence Review White Paper of July 1998, published by National Archives – re-access made 2020-03-09
^ "Everything you need to know about Trident – Britain's nuclear deterrent". ITV News. ITV plc. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016. The £40 billion construction of a new fleet, Successor, could begin this year and be operational by 2028, however it will more than likely be at a later date given the MoD's complex procurement procedures. while the current fleet will be phased out by 2032.
^ "BAE Systems to begin building new British nuclear submarines". Reuters. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.

[1] Hartley (PDF) Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine nuclearinfo.org

[2] Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine, royalnavy.mod.uk

[Janes-3] Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.

[strategicdefencereview-4] Strategic Defence Review White Paper of July 1998, published by National Archives – re-access made 2020-03-09

[auto-5] "Everything you need to know about Trident – Britain's nuclear deterrent". ITV News. ITV plc. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016. The £40 billion construction of a new fleet, Successor, could begin this year and be operational by 2028, however it will more than likely be at a later date given the MoD's complex procurement procedures. while the current fleet will be phased out by 2032.

[6] "BAE Systems to begin building new British nuclear submarines". Reuters. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.

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Class overview
HMS Vanguard at Faslane, 2010
Builders	Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness, England
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Resolution class
Succeeded by	Dreadnought class
Cost	£12.15 billion^[1] for 4 units (1995/6) £3.04 billion per unit
Built	1986–1998
In service	1993–present
Completed	4
Active	4
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
Displacement	Submerged: 15,900 t (15,600 long tons; 17,500 short tons)
Length	149.9 m (491 ft 10 in)
Beam	12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draught	12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	1 × Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor, 2 × GEC turbines; 27,500 shp (20.5 MW) 1 × shaft, pump jet propulsor 2 × auxiliary retractable propulsion motors 2 × Allen turbo generators (6 MW) 2 × Paxman diesel alternators; 2,700 shp (2.0 MW)
Speed	Over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), submerged
Range	Limited only by food and mechanical components
Complement	135
Sensors and processing systems	BAE Systems SMCS Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band navigation radar Thales Underwater Systems Type 2054 composite sonar suite comprising: Marconi/Ferranti Type 2046 towed array sonar Type 2043 hull-mounted active and passive search sonar Type 2082 passive intercept and ranging sonar Pilkington Optronics CK51 search periscope Pilkington Optronics CH91 attack periscope
Electronic warfare & decoys	Two SSE Mk10 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys RESM Racal UAP passive intercept
Armament	4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes for: Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes 16 × ballistic missile tubes for: 8–16 Lockheed Trident II D5 SLBMs (carrying up to 8 warheads each)