A new sub standard

摘要

After seemingly endlessrndelays and setbacks, the Royal Navy's most sophisticated vessel finally put to sea on 15 November. HMS Astute set off from Barrow at the start of 18 months of intensive sea trials, nearly four years late.rnThe ￡1.2 billion submarine will be followed in due course by Ambush, Artful and Audacious and three others which have yet to be ordered, if they are not axed in thernforthcoming defence review. All are to be based at a new purpose-built ￡150 million floating jetty at Faslane, with the Clyde base set to become the homeport for all the Royal Navy's submarines. Astute arrived there on 20 November.rnThe Astute class was specified to provide greater land attack, intelligence gathering and special forces operations capabilities than her predecessors.