Vanguard class
Vanguard class is a nuclear-powered submarine operated by Royal Navy, powered by PWR2 of about 145 MWt. Operating.
Britain's current and only nuclear deterrent, four boats maintaining continuous at-sea patrols since 1993, being replaced by Dreadnought. The Astute class shares its PWR2 reactor, which is why the two programmes are often described together even though one carries missiles and the other does not.
| Reactor | PWR2 |
|---|---|
| Reactors per vessel | 1 |
| Thermal output | 145MWt |
| Fuel enrichment | not disclosed |
| Refuelling | not disclosed |
| Category | submarine |
|---|---|
| Role | SSBN |
| Operator | Royal Navy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Vessels in class | 4 |
| In service from | 1993 |
| Status | Operating |
Other submarines
| Class | Enrichment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AUKUS submarines | HEU | Planned |
| Akula class | - | Operating |
| Alfa class | HEU | Retired |
| Arihant class | HEU | Operating |
| Astute class | HEU | Operating |
| Borei class | HALEU | Operating |
| Columbia class | HEU | Under construction |
| Dreadnought class | HEU | Under construction |
| Han class (Type 091) | - | Operating |
| Le Triomphant class | LEU | Operating |
| Los Angeles class | HEU | Operating |
| Ohio class | HEU | Operating |
| Oscar II class | - | Operating |
| Seawolf class | HEU | Operating |
| Suffren class (Barracuda) | LEU | Operating |
| Type 093 and 094 (Shang and Jin) | LEU | Operating |
| Typhoon class | - | Retired |
| USS Nautilus | HEU | Retired |
| Virginia class | HEU | Operating |
| Xia class (Type 092) | - | Retired |
| Yasen class | HALEU | Operating |
Vanguard class in context
It is one of 22 submarine programs on record, 15 of them operating and 4 retired, and one of 3 naval reactor programs from the same country.
Each of its reactors is rated about 145 MWt; across the 19 submarine programs with a stated rating the median is 165 MWt, and this one ranks 14th.
It entered service in 1993, 33 years ago; the submarine programs on record entered service between 1955 and 2020, and this one is the 8th earliest of 17.
| Measure | Vanguard class | Median of submarine programs | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal power per reactor (MWt) | 145 | 165 | 14 of 19 |
| Entered service | 1993 | 1997 | 8 of 17 (earliest first) |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares Vanguard class with what is recorded here, not with everything that exists. An entry with no value for a measure is left out of that measure's ranking and median.
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear-Powered Ships · retrieved 2026-09-07
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data