Professional Engineering

Further £350m funding for Successor submarines confirmed

Defence secretary said investment will sustain 1,200 jobs and demonstrate government commitment to national security

  • Published in News.

Vanguard-class submarines (pictured) are due to be replaced from 2028

The UK government has announced a further £350 million of funding for the next stage of design work on the future generation of nuclear-armed submarines.

The investment will sustain 1,200 jobs and demonstrate the government's commitment to maintaining continuous nuclear deterrence at sea in future decades.

This latest round of funding follows an initial £350 million investment announced earlier this year.

The announcement came as defence secretary Philip Hammond visited the home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent at Faslane on the Clyde last week. An unarmed Trident ballistic missile was successfully fired by HMS Vigilant during a test launch in the Atlantic Ocean.

HMS Vigilant is one of four Vanguard-class submarines, which will be replaced by Successor from 2028. The firing was the first in three years.

Hammond said: “Our continuous submarine-based nuclear deterrent is the ultimate safeguard of our national security, and the government is committed to maintaining it, both now and in the future.

“The test firing and further investment in replacing the deterrent demonstrates that commitment. This latest expenditure for the next generation of nuclear-armed submarines is an investment in UK security and the economy, sustaining high-quality jobs and vital skills.”

As a result of the announcement, BAE Systems will proceed with an additional £315 million worth of work and a further £38 million worth will go ahead at Babcock.

Hammond also confirmed that the Ministry of Defence intends to move the Astute and Trafalgar-class attack submarines to Faslane on the Clyde, creating a further 1,500 jobs.

All Royal Navy submarines will be based at Faslane by 2017, increasing the workforce at the site to more than 8,000 by 2022.