ASTUTE Home from US Trials – the next generation Fleet Submarine ASTUTE arrived back at Faslane following US sea trials lasting four and a half months.   Working off the eastern seaboard of North America the boats extensive trials saw the vessel firing the main weaponry for the first time with four TOMAHAWK Cruise Missiles targeted at a corner of Eglin American Air Force Base to test for accuracy, and six SPEARFISH torpedoes were launched making the first salvo firing by a British submarine for 15 years.   During the American trials the submarine spent 77 days at sea with 65 alongside, over the course of the deployment sailed 16,400 miles.   As part of these exercises the ASTUTE was pitted against America's newest and best Virginia Class hunter-attack submarine USS NEW MEXICO  and the Americans were suitably impressed as the ASTUTE’s sonar was able to “hold” the American submarine at the range which had the quite taken aback, and “blown away with what they were seeing."  The ASTUTE will now undertake a base maintenance period at Faslane, before returning to sea later in the year for more trials.