THE captain of a £1.2billion nuclear submarine being tested in Scotland has defended the vessel amid claims serious flaws were exposed.
Insiders at the Navy's Faslane base, near Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, say the Astute sub's trials offthe west coast of Scotland have been plagued by technical faults.
One said: "There have been problems with Astute. Every time engineers think they have solved one problem, another crops up.
"This has to be sorted out quickly."
But Commander Andy Coles, Astute's captain, yesterday said he expected the trials to identify issues needing further work.
He said: "I am proud of what my crew have achieved as part of Astute's successful sea trials. They have shown the clear potential of this fantastic new platform.
"There has been no major emergency. The crew and I are full of confidence in Astute."
Navy chiefs have still not taken over formal control of the 7675-ton vessel - now nine years in development.
Once commanders are satisfied with the sub, it will be signed over from defence equipment specialists to become HMS Astute.
Work on the sub at Barrowin-Furness, Cumbria, had to be stopped last year when a fire broke out with 20 workers on board.
It emerged that there were problems with the 323ft-long vessel's propulsion system, a fault engineers were unable to fix at the time because of the blaze.
Submarine expert Tim Fish said: "There can be a whole range of issues but diving and surfacing can be the main problems."
Critics say the Astute programme has been one of the most troubled UK defence projects. Due to serious delays and problems in construction, the sub, which has a crew of 98, was launched four years late.
Another Navy source said: "The crew are worried about the problems. They must be fixed without cutting corners."
The Royal Navy's most advanced submarine, described as "more complex than the space shuttle", arrived at its new base on the Clyde in November.
Astute, which weighs 7400 tons, has the latest stealth technology and sonar systems - and carries a deadly array of Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk land missiles.
The huge vessel, which could stay under water for 25 years without running out of fuel, will carry out anti-ship and anti-sub operations, surveil lance and intel l igence gathering plus provide support for land forces.
Astute's huge reserves of power are provided by a pressurised water nuclear reactor that MoD bosses say is capable of powering a city the size of Aberdeen.
Last night, a Navy spokesman said: "Defects must be dealt with by the MoD's Defence Equipment and Support branch." (source dailyrecord)
Posts
