New UK submarine class to be designed by BAE Systems for about $516 million
NewsMay 23, 2012
BARROW-IN-FURNESS, United Kingdom. The Royal Navy selected BAE Systems to design the next generation of submarines for the United Kingdom. UK Ministry of Defense officials awarded the first design contracts for the Vanguard replacement program to the main industrial partners, BAE Systems Maritime ? Submarines, Babcock, and Rolls-Royce.
The first of the new submarines is expected to be delivered in 2028 and act as a nuclear deterrent through the 2060s. The new submarine class does not yet have an official name, but program personnel currently call it Successor. BAE Systems’ portion of the contract is worth about $516 million (US).
The remainder of the contract, which is worth about $550 (US) million in total, is split between Rolls Royce and Babcock and covers design aspects of in-service support and the reactor design for the submarine.
The Vanguard Class consists of four submarines – HMS Victorious, HMS Vanguard, HMS Vengeance, and HMS Vigilant. All were built at Barrow-in-Furness between 1985 and 1999.
BAE Systems officials say that about 1,000 people work on the new submarine class the company’s facility at Barrow-in-Furness with plans to create another 280 new jobs in 2012.
