Right now, theres at least one nuclear-power, nuclear-armed submarine stealthily patrolling the waters off the UK.
Rolls-Royce today announced that it has secured a whopping9bn contract to maintain and upgrade the Navys submarinenuclear reactors.
The Astute-class are nuclear-powered but conventionally armed.
Six of seven planned vessels are already operational.
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The Navy plans to replace the Vanguards with the Dreadnought-class SSBNs in the early 2030s.
These machines use uranium to generate heat, turning water into steam that spins a turbine to generate electricity.
The steam then cools, and the process repeats.
The contract is expected tocreate more than 1,000 UK jobs and safeguard 4,000 other roles.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
