£2 Billion Boost for the Next Generation of Dreadnought Submarines

• 30,000 employment opportunities in the UK fostered throughout the initiative
• Securing the future of the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent system
• The largest, most technologically sophisticated, and powerful submarines ever constructed for the Royal Navy

The Ministry of Defence has declared an additional funding of over £2 billion for the Dreadnought nuclear deterrent submarines, currently being built at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness. This financing is designated for the third major stage of the programme, Delivery Phase 3, which represents the most critical, valuable, and intricate phase to date.

The investment signifies the most recent financial commitment between the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, and Rolls Royce. This initial funding is part of a projected total of nearly £10 billion dedicated to the entire third delivery phase.

Dreadnought stands as one of the globe’s most intricate engineering initiatives. Over £1 billion has been allocated towards cutting-edge technology and enhanced infrastructure at BAE Systems’ Barrow shipyard to enable the delivery of Dreadnought, with an additional £450 million earmarked for further investment throughout the programme’s lifespan.

The Dreadnought initiative underpins nearly 30,000 job roles throughout the UK, with more than half of these anticipated to be situated in North West England, alongside a supply chain expenditure of £7.5 billion distributed across 1,500 UK firms. Furthermore, BAE Systems is currently training over 1,000 employees through its early careers programmes in the Submarines division and plans to onboard an additional 340 apprentices and 90 graduates this year.

Defence Procurement Minister, Jeremy Quin, stated:

“The Dreadnought Class is essential for maintaining and safeguarding our national security, with the nuclear deterrent shielding each UK citizen from the most severe threats at every moment of every day.

“Engineered in the UK, constructed in the UK, and supporting tens of thousands of jobs within the UK, the Dreadnought programme represents a prime example of our commitment to defence manufacturing and will continue to uplift British industry for decades ahead.”

Steve Timms, Managing Director of BAE Systems Submarines, remarked:

“We take immense pride in crafting and delivering one of the globe’s most advanced engineering initiatives and contributing to the protection of national security.

“The announcement of funding today enables us to sustain the progress of the Dreadnought programme and persist in investing in the infrastructure and skills necessary to deliver these highly complex submarines to the Royal Navy.”

This stage of the programme will witness the inaugural submarine, HMS Dreadnought, departing from BAE Systems’ shipyard to commence sea trials, establishing the groundwork to maintain the Continuous at Sea Deterrent for as long as international security conditions necessitate. Additionally, it will facilitate the application of knowledge gained from this phase to the construction and testing of subsequent vessels.

The agreements with Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems will substantially advance the UK Government’s ambitions for levelling-up, while supporting the training and development of the personnel in the Royal Navy who are destined to operate HMS Dreadnought when she enters service in the early 2030s.