Royal Navy submarine Astute to undergo mid-life upgrade

The UK Royal Navy's lead Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine will soon begin undergoing an extensive upgrade after having completed 15 years of continuous service.

HMS Astute will be the first of her class to be sent to Babcock International's facilities in Devonport for maintenance under a mid-life re-validation period (MLRP).

As the boat has been fitted with a core-H type reactor, nuclear refuelling will not be part of her upcoming MLRP.

Majority of the refit will take place at Babcock's number 14 drydock at Devonport. Initial stages of the refit have already been implemented on Astute and some of her sisters, though the scope of these and the expected duration of the broader MLRP have not been disclosed.

Devonport will be the Astute-class submarines' main refitting centre while the boats will continue to be homeported at HMNB Clyde in Scotland.

Five of the Astute-class submarines are already in service while the final two boats HMS Agamemnon and HMS Achilles (formerly HMS Agincourt) are scheduled to enter service no later than 2026 and 2029, respectively.