CLYDE NAVAL BASE, Scotland, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The British Royal Navy announced its next-generation submarine Astute has been take out to sea to begin a performance testing and evaluation period.
Quentin Davies, British minister for defense equipment and support, announced the Royal Navy's new Astute vessel is now traveling to its home port at Clyde Naval Base in Scotland, marking a milestone for the nuclear submarine.
The BAE Systems Submarine Solutions-built Astute, which never needs to be refueled and is designed with the ability to produce its own oxygen enabling constant submersion, will now begin a set of sea trials ahead of future deployment with the Royal Navy.
"I would like to pay tribute to both the Ministry of Defense and BAE Systems Submarine Solutions staff who have worked so hard to achieve this remarkable feat of engineering," Davies said in a statement.
