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Fresh setback for £1.2bn nuclear submarine HMS Astute
A £1.2 billion submarine being built for the Royal Navy is facing renewed setbacks two years after the main structural work was completed.
Work on HMS Astute has been disrupted by fire and technical faults.
Work on HMS Astute, billed as the first of a new generation of nuclear submarine, stopped at Barrow-in-Furness last month when a fire broke out in the conning tower as 20 people were working on board.
Now it has emerged that there are problems with the vessel's propulsion system, a fault which engineers have been unable to rectify because of the fire.
The Ministry of Defence was unable to say when she is now expected to be ready but the maker BAE Systems' annual report, published a few days ago, predicted that she would be delivered by the end of the year.
It noted that it had been a "challenging year" for the Astute submarine programme, which also includes HMS Ambush, HMS Artful and HMS Audacious as well as three others.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "There was a minor fire on-board Astute on April 18.
"An investigation is under way by the company but it is too soon to state whether there has been an impact on the overall programme."
A £1.2 billion submarine being built for the Royal Navy is facing renewed setbacks two years after the main structural work was completed.
Work on HMS Astute has been disrupted by fire and technical faults.
Work on HMS Astute, billed as the first of a new generation of nuclear submarine, stopped at Barrow-in-Furness last month when a fire broke out in the conning tower as 20 people were working on board.
Now it has emerged that there are problems with the vessel's propulsion system, a fault which engineers have been unable to rectify because of the fire.
The Ministry of Defence was unable to say when she is now expected to be ready but the maker BAE Systems' annual report, published a few days ago, predicted that she would be delivered by the end of the year.
It noted that it had been a "challenging year" for the Astute submarine programme, which also includes HMS Ambush, HMS Artful and HMS Audacious as well as three others.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "There was a minor fire on-board Astute on April 18.
"An investigation is under way by the company but it is too soon to state whether there has been an impact on the overall programme."
