UK MoD awards £201m for Successor development

The work will involve engineers at BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce

The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded £201 million to support further design work for the UK's next generation of nuclear submarines.  

The funding will enable BAE Systems to develop the design of the submarine, including the layout of equipment and systems, and to develop manufacturing processes, including the production of early prototypes. The announcement comes ahead of the next phase of the programme later this year.

Work on the submarine’s design will draw on the innovation, design and engineering capabilities of BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce.

Chief of Materiel (Fleet) Vice Admiral Simon Lister said: “We are now in the detailed design stage of the most technologically advanced nuclear submarine in the history of the Royal Navy.

“Building on cutting edge developments carried out by the MoD, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock, this funding will allow us to continue to move forwards with the programme.”

The funding, is part of the overall £3.3 billion package announced in the last parliament for the Assessment Phase of the Successor submarine programme.

Four Vanguard submarines – which currently maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent – will be replaced from the early 2030s.