BAE Systems has announced a substantial £220 million investment to transform its facilities in Rochester, Kent, creating a new 32,000-square-metre advanced factory.
This major redevelopment will enhance the capabilities of BAE Systems’ UK-based Electronic Systems business, which operates at the Rochester site and is pivotal in producing sophisticated aerospace technology.
The upgraded facility will bring together manufacturing, engineering, and office space in a streamlined and sustainable environment. The site, home to over 1,600 employees, specialises in cutting-edge aerospace technology, including head-up displays, helmet-mounted displays, flight control computers, and active control sticks used across civil and military aircraft worldwide. In addition, the Rochester location provides year-round support for global commercial airliners as part of BAE’s Electronic Systems’ support services.
According to BAE Systems, the improved facility will enhance both efficiency and production capacity, helping to create 300 new jobs over the next five years. “Our skilled workforce plays a vital role in delivering products essential to national security and commercial aviation,” said Dave Banks, BAE Systems’ Rochester Business Centre Director.
“This investment will enable us to attract even more highly skilled talent to the Medway area, allowing us to better serve customers who rely on our products to complete their missions.”
Rochester has long been a centre for aviation technology, with a history of development and manufacturing that spans over a century. Work is already underway to prepare the site for this extensive redevelopment, set to begin in earnest in 2025. Alongside the main factory, upgrades to utilities, car parking, and office spaces are included in the project, enhancing the work environment across the site.
Councillor Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council, highlighted the positive impact on the local economy and employment. “As our largest private sector employer, BAE Systems’ investment signals strong confidence in Medway as a prime location for business growth,” said Maple. “This development will not only support local economic growth but will also create skilled employment opportunities, develop young talent, and encourage others to invest in Medway.”
This Rochester redevelopment is part of a broader commitment by BAE Systems to invest in its UK facilities. A £300 million upgrade of shipbuilding facilities is currently underway in Glasgow, and over £200 million is allocated to modernise the UK munitions sector to meet rising demand.
This is great news for Rochester as I used to work there running one of the newer facilities on site but a lot of the production was being run from very old buildings. It looks like they will demolish a mostly derelict building and rebuild on that site which will significantly help with production. I think a big chunk of money will be spent removing the old buildings which contain a lot of asbestos as they have been around for almost 100 years. Always been great products from great engineers just poor facilities.
Same with almost everywhere in the early 1980’s.
I remember working in a lot of very badly insulated building built between the wars and during WWII.
Great, very motivated, people and science going on then – terrible facilities. Very make-do-and-mend.
Too many people on the payroll and it ate all the money. So nothing to invest in the facilities.
Sometimes we go too far the other way now with very Gucci facilities where simpler decent facilities would do the job.
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Hopefully that £220 million includes some funding for fire extinguishers
There is a video from Kent Online showing an old building being totally demolished with the BAE diector Dave Banksand stating that there were 1,250 jobs a few years ago over 1,600 now with 1,800 by the end of the year and a further 300 high value jobs planned (1,250 to 2,100 jobs) The press reports state 1,600 to 1,900 jobs
I’m assuming this is the old Marconi site. Either way good news whenever we get news of Bae investing here rather than just hearing about all the investments and orders in the US, as welcome as that may be.