BAE Systems holds naming ceremony for Anson
Sea trials are scheduled for 2022
The fifth submarine in the seven-boat Astute SSN class for the UK Royal Navy (RN) was officially named Anson in an 11 December ceremony at the BAE Systems Submarines facility in Barrow-in-Furness.
The 97m-long, 7,400t submarine is now scheduled to be launched ‘early next year, ahead of leaving for sea trials in 2022’, BAE Systems noted in a statement.
The company added that work is well under way in Barrow on Astute-class boats six and seven (Agamemnon and Agincourt) for the RN, as well as the first two boats in the Dreadnought class of SSBNs.
BAE Systems claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent work on both Astute and Dreadnought from continuing in 2020. However, Shephard reported in March that the delivery schedule for Anson had been affected by issues uncovered during the build of fourth-in-class Audacious.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations]()
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
![SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
![SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort]()
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
-
![SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission]()
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
