The ASTUTE class submarine is the latest in the British Royal Navy fleet and was first launched in 2007. This huge submarine has an appearance similar to a whale, and is nuclear-powered, not requiring a single refuel over its 25 year lifetime, although it is not unique in this regard. The ASTUTE class submarine is built by BAE Systems Maritime in Barrow-in-Furness on the north west coast of Britain. The submarines cost about $2.4 billion US Dollars (USD) each. The ASTUTE class consists of attack submarines, in contrast to the ballistic missile submarines of the VANGUARD class. Item No 05909 Item Name HMS Astute Bar Code 9580208059099 Scale 1:144 Item Type Plastic Model Warship Kit Model Brief Length: 673mm Beam: 99.6mm Total Parts 30+ Metal Parts n/a Photo Etched Parts 1 piece Film Parts n/a Resin Parts n/a Total Sprues 2 sprues , upper hull and lower hull Released Date 2017-12 More Features the kit consists of over 30 parts - contains display stand