BAE Systems has officially opened a new digital engineering hub in Coventry, creating 150 highly skilled jobs and extending the reach of the UK’s submarine industrial base into the heart of the West Midlands.
The site, located at Ansty Park business complex and shared with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), will play a central role in supporting the Royal Navy’s current and future nuclear submarine fleet—including the Astute, Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS classes.
“The opening of our new Coventry office marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in BAE Systems’ engineering journey,” said Steve Timms, Managing Director of BAE Systems Submarines. “The work that will take place here, now and in the future, will be important as we deliver next-generation submarines to the Royal Navy.”
Engineers based at the Coventry hub will focus on developing and supporting complex systems at the core of the submarines being constructed at the company’s primary shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The Midlands location is intended to tap into the region’s deep pool of technical talent and industrial innovation.
“Delivering the Dreadnought programme, whilst also increasing the capacity and capability of the UK’s submarine industrial base, means we need to continue investing in talent and expertise across the entire country,” Timms added. “The Midlands hub is an example of this ambition and is making our national endeavour even further reaching.”
The workforce for the Coventry facility is being drawn from a range of sectors including defence, automotive, finance and even retail, with BAE Systems also actively recruiting veterans.
Rear Admiral Paul Carroll, Director of Submarine Acquisition at the Submarine Delivery Agency, praised the regional impact of the investment. “The Midlands is one of the country’s top innovation regions, and BAE Systems’ new office in Coventry is testament to the area’s strength in developing industrial technology and defence collaborations that attract investment and jobs.”
He added that the co-location with MTC’s manufacturing experts “offers huge benefits and strengthens our partnership as they expand their operations in the country.”
Sir Rick Thompson, Managing Director for Defence at MTC, said the development reinforces the region’s position as a national centre for research and development.
The announcement follows the UK Government’s recent Strategic Defence Review, which reaffirmed the commitment to four Dreadnought-class submarines to maintain the UK’s continuous at-sea deterrent. With the final Astute-class boats nearing completion, and SSN-AUKUS design and development now underway, the expansion of BAE’s engineering footprint in the Midlands underscores the scale of the challenge ahead.
The new site was officially opened by Steve Timms and Rear Admiral Paul Carroll during a ceremony on 24 June.
Competing with automotive I’d guess?
As a few defence contractors have said they have drained the talent pool in Scotland so quite sensibly have to widen the search.
I suppose that is the issue if you concentrate your complex industry in an area with low population density and or a place people are loathed to move to.
Its why the south east economic development is a self fulfilling prophecy and why cities work.. industrial moves to where the populations are to support them.. people move to where the jobs are.. all the fun stuff that people like gets developed where the populations are…so people move there… and industry moves to where the populations are.. it’s all a big self fulfilling circus called cities.
🤣 just put my bit in and read yours yep you are bang on.
I am pleasantly surprised by this, but also really seriously rather impressed with a bit of logical thinking. On so many fronts it just makes massive sense to site it at Ansty, it ticks so many boxes such as logistics, industrial cooperation, future proofing and an available skilled labour force with transferable skills.
Simple reason it’s on what used to be RR Ansty which was closed as an economy move to concentrate on the prime sites and made a lot of highly skilled staff redundant. But because of the boom in business and skills shortage RR now have a smaller but modern site which also works closely with MTC and they are expanding again.
Spookily BAe want to recruit new apprentices but also veteran skilled staff.
Great news for Coventry they got hammered when JLR at Browns lane and RR shut down.
There is a deeper history with military vehicle manufacturing as well. Alvis used to be based in the city although that factory is now a retail park. People have long memories though and I am certain that there will be no shortage of people interested in taking up these sorts of jobs. I remember driving past when I was a lot younger and seeing Scimitars, Stormers, Saracens and Scorpions in various stages of construction. It was really cool at the time.
Didn’t they make Morris Marinas and Austin Allegros and Princesses there back in the ’70s…. raving success. Reliability…. not really