Contract to Maintain UK Navy Fleet’s Eyes and Ears Secures Over 500 Jobs

The contract to maintain the eyes and ears of the Royal Navy’s ships and submarines, signed yesterday by Thales and the UK Defence Ministry, will sustain 530 defence jobs across the UK.

The £600 million Sensor Support Optimisation Project will provide a decade of maintenance and repair for 17 different systems across the Royal Navy fleet, including the Astute, Trafalgar and Vanguard Classes of submarines as well as the Type 45 warships, Type 23 frigates and the Hunt and Sandown Classes of minehunting vessels.

The contract will secure 230 Thales jobs at sites in Glasgow, Manchester, Somerset and Crawley in West Sussex. A further 300 jobs will be secured through the UK supply chain.

Under this new contractual arrangement, MOD will make an estimated saving of around £140 million over the 10-year period.

Vice Admiral Sir Andrew Mathews, Chief of Materiel Fleet for MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, said:

 Securing support for this combat equipment, the electronic eyes and ears of our fleet of submarines and surface warships, is key to ensuring that the Royal Navy will continue to be able to protect the UK’s interests wherever they may be.

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Press Release, May 29, 2013; Image: UK MoD