MoD awards £350m contract to Babcock to upgrade HMS Vengeance

The project will last three years and safeguard up to 2,000 jobs

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded Babcock a £350 million contract to refit HMS Vengeance, the last of the Vanguard class submarines.

Work will include fitting Vengeance with a new Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor, similar to the one being installed on the new Astute class submarines. The core will fuel the submarine until it is decommissioned.

There will also be updates to the tactical and strategic weapon systems, as well as survey, hull and structure preservation and overhaul of all the submarine's components, systems and equipment.

The upgrade will take place at the Devonport dockyard in Plymouth, and is expected to take three years to complete.

The MoD said that the project would safeguard more than 1,000 jobs at Babcock, a further 300 at other companies in Plymouth and another 700 jobs in the industrial supply chain.

Defence secretary Philip Hammond said: “As well as securing 2,000 UK jobs, this contract will ensure the nuclear deterrent submarine fleet can continue to operate safely and effectively to maintain a continuous at sea deterrent. As we stabilise the defence budget we are increasingly able to commit to equipment projects to safeguard the UK’s National Security.

“Devonport Royal Dockyard is at the heart of maintaining and supporting the Royal Navy. Our White Paper published earlier this year said we would support key sovereign capabilities in British companies that help us to protect our national security and this contract with Babcock is evidence of that commitment.”

Mike Homer, Babcock's managing director, submarines, added: “Babcock is extremely pleased to have agreed this significant contract with the MoD by positively building upon the previous contract for HMS Vigilant.”

Five facts about Vanguard class submarines

1. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear weapons programme
2. Each vessel is armed with up to 16 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles
3. A maximum of 192 independently targetable warheads can be deployed by each submarine
4. Four submarines form the class: Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance
5. The submarines were built with a 25-year life expectancy