Keel laid for UK Royal Navy's lead Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarine

The keel of the first of the UK Royal Navy's new Dreadnought-class submarines was laid at BAE Systems' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on Thursday, March 20.

The future HMS Dreadnought and its sisters will succeed the Vanguard-class of submarines in Royal Navy service.

The Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines will begin to enter service in the early 2030s. Continuous at sea deterrent (CASD) will be maintained throughout the transition from the Vanguard-class to the Dreadnought-class.

The Dreadnought-class submarines will be the largest ever operated by the Royal Navy, with each measuring 153.6 metres long and displacing approximately 17,200 tonnes upon completion.

The Dreadnought Alliance, a partnership between BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and the UK Ministry of Defence's Submarine Delivery Agency, will manage the delivery of the submarines.

Each Dreadnought-class boat will conduct deterrence patrols with Trident ballistic missiles for three months at a time. The armament will also include Spearfish heavy torpedoes.

The submarines were built to have operational lives of at least 35 years.