Submarine

On November 18, 2023, over the Bay of Biscay, France successfully launched the latest unarmed version of the three-stage M51.3 strategic ballistic missile that carries the country's submarine-borne nuclear deterrent wing.

Although the Nemo submarine is billed as "the lightest manned submersible ever built," it's still typically hefted into the water via a crane on a yacht. The Beachlauncher offers an easier alternative, in which the sub is simply driven into the sea.

The US Navy has highlighted the future of the US/UK seaborne nuclear deterrent by successfully launching a Trident II D5 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Louisiana for a record 191 times.

The UK/US/Australian AUKUS nuclear attack submarine treaty is moving from diplomacy to nuts-and-bolts after the UK Ministry of Defence awarded a £3.95-billion contract to begin detailed design work and long-term procurement for the SSN-AUKUS-class boat.

U-Boat Works has unveiled "the fastest private submersible ever conceived" – let alone built. The three-person bubble-cabin Super Sub looks like an underwater supercar, and it's quick enough to cruise, if not sprint, with bottlenose dolphins.

The CEO and co-founder of Triton Submarines takes us through some highlight dives from an extraordinary career, from salvaging the "smoking gun" from the Challenger space shuttle, to filming with James Cameron, to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

It takes guts to start a company. It takes a lot more guts to start a company manufacturing cutting-edge private submarines. And as Triton's CEO and co-founder explains, it takes even more guts to slap down your money and become the first customer.

2023 is not a great year to be running a submarine company, but we caught up with Patrick Lahey, co-founder of Florida's Triton Submarines, for a three-part chat about a remarkable career with highlights as low as a human being can possibly go.

Using very small atoms to guide very large submarines, Q-CTRL has been awarded a contract by the Australian Department of Defence to develop quantum mechanics systems for the AUKUS treaty partners to navigate subs on long underwater missions.

In a move worthy of an old-school mad scientist, Naval Group has handed over to the French Navy a "Frankensub" made by stitching together the back half of one nuclear attack submarine with the front half of another.

Taking a plot point from the 1990 Sean Connery movie thriller The Hunt for Red October, DARPA is working on a super-silent submarine drive that has no moving parts and provides propulsion through the water using magnets and electricity.

Last year we first heard about the Nautilus, a planned US$25 million submersible superyacht designed by Germany's U-Boat Worx. The company has now provided the first images of the vessel's interior, which looks like it would do Jules Verne proud.