Submarines: July 9, 2001

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The British Royal Navy is studying what kind of submarine to build after the six Astute-class SSNs enter service from 2005-2014. Originally, the obvious solution was the Future Attack Submarine (FASM), but under the new Maritime Underwater Future Capability study, the British are re-examining the entire undersea battlespace rather than simply assuming another submarine will follow the Astute class. This could include unmanned underwater vehicles, remotely-deployed sensors, and a network system in which a combined team rather than a single ship type would be used.--Stephen V Cole