The UK Government has awarded a new £5.9 billion contract to BAE Systems to fund critical work progressing the Royal Navy’s Dreadnought Class nuclear deterrent submarines towards entry into service, according to the company.
Work on the first of class, Dreadnought, continues at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness ahead of delivery to the Royal Navy in the early 2030s. The contract also covers continued build of boat two, Valiant, and the fabrication and outfitting of the remaining two boats, Warspite and King George VI, which are in the early stages of construction.
The four-boat Dreadnought Class will replace the existing Barrow-built Vanguard fleet, maintaining the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent. According to BAE Systems, they will be the biggest, most powerful and technically advanced submarines ever built for the Royal Navy.
The contract forms part of a wider £8.4 billion package approved by parliament for the Ministry of Defence. The build programme is being delivered in collaboration with the MOD’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise, the partnership of organisations that operate, maintain, renew and sustain the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive, said:
“The Dreadnought programme is of vital strategic importance to the UK, underpinning the security of our nation and our allies for decades to come.”
“Its delivery depends on the strength of our national industrial base, with thousands of skilled workers right across the country playing their part in the mission to deliver this critical capability to the Royal Navy.”
In the last financial year, BAE Systems’ Dreadnought supply chain spend was £1.3 billion, taking the total spent so far to £8.9 billion across more than 1,500 UK suppliers.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP said:
“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.”
“Supporting thousands of skilled, local jobs, we are fusing Barrow’s proud heritage with modern technology to build our security for the future, supporting the next generation to keep our country safe as their parents and grandparents did.”
The Dreadnought programme supports approximately 30,000 jobs across the country, with more than 7,000 people currently working on it at BAE Systems alone.
In September 2025, King Charles III visited Barrow-in-Furness to bestow Royal Port status on the town, recognising the contribution it makes to UK defence. Over the past four years £1 billion has been invested in the BAE Systems Submarines site, and its workforce has expanded from 11,000 to approximately 16,000. BAE Systems is working alongside central and local government as part of the Team Barrow partnership to deliver improvements via the £200 million Barrow Transformation Fund.
The lack of detail in these announcements is so frustrating. Go back to the 1990’s and the MOD provided quite detailed information on the construction status and planned launch and commissioning dates of individual Vanguard-class submarines – a quick check with some of my old Janes Fighting Ships volumes confirms this. As for the Resolution-class in the 1960’s, journalists such as Desmond Wettern were providing updates in national newspapers on a near weekly basis!