The Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract worth over £114 million to Scott Aerospace in Bristol to provide support for the Royal Navy’s submarine mechanical and secondary steam propulsion equipment.
Announced on 11 June 2025, the framework agreement—known as the Submarine Mechanical and Secondary Steam Propulsion Equipment Support (SMASSES) contract—covers the supply of spares and repairs across a wide range of components critical to the operation of the UK’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
According to the published award notice, the contract includes support for both first-level and non-first-level equipment within submarine mechanical systems, as well as key components of the secondary steam propulsion system. These include main and auxiliary steam system valves, steam drains, gland steam system valves, main steam turbines, turbo generators (mechanical), and associated ancillary equipment.
The contract scope also covers:
- Obsolescence and risk management
- Safety and environmental management
- Quality assurance, including a dedicated Quality Management Plan
- Helpdesk support during business hours
- Performance monitoring and reporting
- Provision of all associated project documentation
Work will be delivered primarily to Royal Navy submarine bases in Portsmouth and Faslane, with all deliveries confined to the UK.
The contract has an initial duration of three years, with two additional one-year extension options available at the MoD’s discretion. If both options are exercised, the agreement could run until 2030.
Scott Aerospace, based in Bristol, is the sole supplier named on the contract.
Submarine bases in Portsmouth ?
Be gentle, I’m not the full Wit.
Looks like the Americans are reviewing AUKUS, can the UK and Australia go it alone with it?
I believe they will invite France.
“Sacre Bleu”
“Does your dog bite ?”
Apparently the ‘official’ reason is that the US sudde don’t believe that it aligns with their vision of ‘US first’ when it comes to manufacturing. I personally wonder if its got more to do with a reduction in their defence budget.
For the UK and Aus to go it alone would involve some significant changes in the UK SM manufacturing capabilities. The US were going to supply some 3-5 Virginia class until our SSN started coming off of the production line.
Not really the way to foster closer ties with a friend where you would want some good friends in that region in the coming years.
Hi Deep There are 2 ways you can spin the US problem their 355 Target was for 66 SSBN by 2050, the new Battle force 2045 target is 60 to 70, whichever way you look at it they will achieve neither and they know it.
Their build rate is way too low and despite throwing billions at it they still can’t get near the target for boats pa, and the longer they fail to hit the target the harder it gets to achieve.
So if you take a linear thinking approach to the America 1st theory then USN submarines are kept solely for the USN, and Australia can whistle.
Or
If you take a lateral thinking approach you’d think hang in it’s immaterial as Australia is pretty well tied to the US and those boats will be doing the same job as ours and we save $billions of dollars. (Same argument can be made for RN T26 builds being sold to Norway and backfilled).
So what’s more important tomUSA 1st X number of boats with the Stars and Stripes or making a lot of money to invest elsewhere and still get the same outcome.
The big issue about UK / Australia doing it themselves is the gap left without the USN boats to replace the Collins.
Is it possible to do it, well yes I think it can but requires an immediate uplift to the Dreadnought project to bring its schedule forwards and SSN(A) to follow straight after (speed up the design and order the long lead items).
First that requires HMG and Australia to inject a lot of extra funding to cover capacity uplift and also speed up the payment schedules.
Also industry has to be willing to embrace real change to maximise production, I can’t speak for Barrow but here in Derby it would probably mean 24 hour working patterns and a huge uplift in trained staff.
“ Helpdesk support during business hours”
So what happens – “Please leave a message and we will call you back in business hours….”
Is that the way support work for CNI?
Don’t worry, a Supportive bloke will be with you in the morning. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you with your issue. Alternatively, press one for emergencies, two for global catastrophies and three to listen to the music.
“We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when but I’m sure we’ll meet again some sunny day”.
Hopefully the hold music is from the origional wartime 78?