The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Venture Astraea, the UK’s new sovereign nuclear warhead, is progressing as a part of the Strategic Defence Evaluation 2025 programme.
In a written parliamentary response, Defence Minister Luke Pollard mentioned that “funding for the Astraea programme is included inside the £15 billion funding within the sovereign nuclear warhead programme this Parliament,” which additionally covers sustaining the prevailing Mk4A warhead and modernising infrastructure on the Atomic Weapons Institution.
Pollard added that he was withholding the projected value of Astraea “for the aim of safeguarding our nationwide safety.”
Venture Astraea, designated A21/Mk7, s being designed, developed, and manufactured within the UK by the Atomic Weapons Institution, which was nationalised in 2021. It is going to substitute the present Holbrook warhead used on Trident II D5 missiles carried by the Vanguard-class submarines and their Dreadnought-class successors.
The system is being developed in coordination with the US W93 programme, sharing sure non-nuclear elements such because the Mk7 aeroshell beneath established treaty frameworks to make sure continued compatibility with the Trident system.
The Strategic Defence Evaluation 2025 said that the sovereign warhead programme will assist round 9,000 jobs throughout the Defence Nuclear Enterprise. Astraea is anticipated to enter service within the 2030s, when the Holbrook warhead reaches the top of its operational life.
In accordance with official paperwork, Astraea will incorporate improved security and efficiency measures, together with insensitive excessive explosives and applied sciences developed via the UK–US Joint Expertise Demonstrator. It is going to even be the primary British nuclear warhead fielded with out reside nuclear testing, in keeping with the UK’s obligations beneath the Complete Nuclear-Take a look at-Ban Treaty.