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United Kingdom In development BAE Systems
Dreadnought class
Next-generation ballistic missile submarine under construction to replace the Vanguard class and continue the UK's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent into the 2050s, carrying Trident II D5 missiles and built with a new common missile compartment shared with the US Columbia class.
In service since 2031 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
17,200
t
130
crew
💲 ≈ $41,000,000,000 — Approximate total program cost across four boats
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
UK export-licensed
Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.
Channel: Government-to-government or direct
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2031. Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$103B – $144B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- VLS cells
Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.
- 12 Stronger than 38% of submarines
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 153.6 m
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $41,000,000,000 Bottom 6% of submarines
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 0 Bottom 3% of submarines
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 39% of submarines
Specifications compiled from public BAE Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine 
Rubin Design Bureau Borei-class Frequently asked questions
What is the BAE Systems Dreadnought class used for? +
The BAE Systems Dreadnought class is a submarine typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the BAE Systems Dreadnought class? +
The BAE Systems Dreadnought class is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the BAE Systems Dreadnought class cost? +
The BAE Systems Dreadnought class has an approximate unit cost of 41,000,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
