Engineered4Extremes - In Focus

Some machines are built to be seen. The Dreadnought-class submarine is built to disappear. At 153.6 metres and 17,000 tonnes, these are among the largest vessels the Royal Navy has ever operated, yet they are designed to vanish beneath the ocean for months at a time. Built by BAE Systems at Barrow-in-Furness and powered by Rolls-Royce PWR3 nuclear reactors, Dreadnought combines Britain's nuclear, naval and advanced manufacturing industries in a single programme. Each boat must carry a crew of around 130, deliver enormous capability, and remain safe, reliable and exceptionally quiet, a combination rarely achieved at this scale. An estimated 30,000 jobs across the UK now depend on a machine whose entire purpose is never to be noticed.