The UK government has announced an £8.4 billion ($11.2 billion) investment to advance the next phase of the Royal Navy's Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarine program, a move aimed at strengthening the country's nuclear deterrent.
Announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to Barrow-in-Furness on July 30, the funding will launch Delivery Phase 4 (DP4) of the program. The investment includes £5.9 billion for BAE Systems, the prime contractor responsible for building the submarines, while the remaining £2.5 billion will be distributed across the wider UK supply chain.
According to the government, the investment will support the UK's Defense Nuclear Enterprise, which currently sustains around 47,000 jobs across the country and works with more than 6,000 UK-based companies. Employment in the sector is forecast to increase to approximately 65,000 by 2030, with 22,000 apprenticeships expected to be created by 2035.
Delivery Phase 4 will see the lead boat, HMS Dreadnought, complete sea trials ahead of entering Royal Navy service in the early 2030s. The contract will also support the second boat, HMS Valiant, through its sea trials while advancing construction of the third and fourth submarines in the four-boat class.
The government said the investment follows productivity improvements at BAE Systems' Barrow shipyard, where output has increased by 40% over the past three years and around 1,800 additional jobs have been created.
Alongside the submarine investment, the government unveiled a new apprenticeship initiative for northwest England designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises within the defense supply chain recruit and train 30 apprentices over the next three years. The scheme will build on BAE Systems' existing apprenticeship model in the region.
The Dreadnought-class submarines will replace the Royal Navy's four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines, ensuring the continuation of the UK's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent. The program forms part of the government's broader implementation of the Strategic Defence Review and its commitment to maintaining the country's nuclear deterrent under the nuclear "triple lock."
The UK's Defense Nuclear Enterprise includes organizations responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the country's nuclear submarine fleet and supporting infrastructure. In addition to BAE Systems in Barrow, the enterprise includes Rolls-Royce, which manufactures submarine reactor cores in Derby; AWE, which develops and maintains the UK's nuclear warheads; Sheffield Forgemasters, which supplies specialist steel; and Babcock, which carries out submarine maintenance at Devonport.
“Keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government - but security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it," Prime Minister Andy Burnham said.
“The submarines produced in Barrow will protect Britain for decades to come, and the 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will change lives both in this town and in dozens of places like it."
“Our nuclear-armed submarines are essential to keeping the UK secure, acting as the ultimate deterrent to our adversaries in an increasingly dangerous world. This milestone investment breathes new life into Barrow’s historic traditions and secures our commitment to deliver Dreadnought Class submarines by backing British industry," Defense Secretary Wes Streeting stated.