Plans have surfaced from a recent ‘Departmental Minute dated 28 June 2023‘ indicating the UK Ministry of Defence’s intent to contract BAE Systems for the ‘Detailed Design and Long Lead Items‘ phase of a new class of nuclear submarine, UK Defence Journal reports.
The new submarines, christened the ‘Ship Submersible Nuclear AUKUS‘ (SSN-AUKUS), are marked to replace the existing Astute Class submarines.