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Under construction at BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, Dreadnoughts are the largest, most advanced and powerful submarines ever built for the Royal Navy.
The investment marks the latest financial commitment between the MoD, BAE Systems and Rolls Royce. It is the initial investment within a planned total of nearly £10bn for the programme’s third ‘delivery phase’.
More than £1bn has been invested in advanced technology and upgraded infrastructure at the Barrow shipyard to enable it to deliver Dreadnought, with £450m of further investment planned during the programme.
Dreadnought construction supports almost 30,000 jobs across the UK, with more than half of those in North West England, and a supply chain spend of £7.5bn across 1,500 UK companies. BAE Systems has more than 1,000 employees being trained in early career schemes within its submarine business, and will recruit a further 340 apprentices and 90 graduates into the business this year.
Defence procurement minister Jeremy Quin said: “Designed in the UK, built in the UK and supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the UK, the Dreadnought programme is a leading example of our commitment to defence manufacturing and will continue to boost British industry for decades to come.”
Steve Timms, managing director of BAE Systems Submarines, said: “We take great pride in designing and delivering one of the world’s most advanced engineering programmes and helping to protect national security.
“Today’s funding announcement allows us to maintain the Dreadnought programme’s progress and continue investing in the infrastructure and skills needed to deliver these highly complex submarines to the Royal Navy.”
Phase three of the programme will see the first of four submarines, HMS Dreadnought, exit the shipyard to begin sea trials. Experience from that phase will be applied to the build and test of later vessels, and HMS Dreadnought is set to enter service in the early 2030s.
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