The UK will continue to be kept safe around the clock for decades to come, as major investments will progress the next phase of the build of the next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines, while backing British jobs.
Dreadnought Class
During a visit to BAE Systems (BAES) shipyard in Barrow, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was accompanied on the visit by Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, announced that government funding worth around £8.4 billion has been committed to begin the fourth major production phase of the UK’s Dreadnought Class submarine program. The Prime Minister highlighted the pace of progress in the building and the government’s enduring commitment to national security and economic growth.
As part of this investment, a contract worth £5.9 billion has been agreed by the government and BAES, the Defense Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) industry partner responsible for delivering submarine production from their shipyard in Barrow, the home of UK submarine building. Further investments will be committed to Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby and the wider supply chain across the UK.
DNE supports over 6,000 UK companies in the supply chain and backs around 47,000 UK jobs. The Dreadnought Delivery Phase 4 (DP4) investment underlines defense as an engine for growth and reinforces the work to modernize our nuclear capabilities and the facilities that deliver them as a truly national endeavor.
DP4 will see HMS Dreadnought, the first of the four new nuclear deterrent submarines, complete its sea trials and be ready to enter service with the Royal Navy in the early 2030s. Boat two, HMS Valiant, will reach sea trials while boats three and four will achieve key construction milestones.
This next phase looks to further enhance continual and sustained productivity growth in Barrow, where a 40% increase has been achieved over the last 3 years, and around 1,800 additional roles have been created under this government.
Building on the Defense Industrial Strategy, making defense an engine for growth, the contracts for DP4 will continue to back UK business, lead in innovation and sustain a resilient UK industrial base. Utilizing recent Single Source Contract Regulations changes, the BAES contract will incentivize faster and more efficient delivery with a focus on productivity and cost control, but only when agreed performance targets and program outcomes are achieved.