The U.K. Government has confirmed more than £8bn of funding towards bringing the first two Royal Navy Dreadnought-class submarines into service.
The majority of the £8.4 billion investment package being announced today (Thursday) by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on a visit to Barrow, where the boats are being constructed, will go to submarine builders BAE Systems.
Its £5.9bn contract, officially dubbed Delivery Phase 4 (DP4) will fund completion of HMS Dreadnought, the first of the four new nuclear deterrent submarines, including sea trials. Her keel was laid in March 2025 and she is due to enter service with the Royal Navy in the early 2030s.
The award will also fund construction of second-in-class HMS Valiant up to her sea trials, and cover ongoing construction of submarines three and four, Warspite and King George VI.
BAE Systems Chief Executive Charles Woodburn commented: “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.”
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Our nuclear-armed submarines are essential to keeping the U.K. 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.”
The remaining £2.5 billion is being invested into the wider U.K.supply chain. As per a Government press statement, the U.K.’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise currently supports 6,000 UK-based companies and around 47,000 British jobs, a number expected to rise to 65,000 by 2030.
As well as Barrow, the U.K. submarine programme includes nuclear reactor cores produced by Rolls-Royce in Derby; warheads designed and built by AWE in Aldermaston; specialist steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters in Sheffield; operational supported in Northwood, Portsmouth, and on the Clyde; and maintenance by Babcock in Devonport.
The Prime Minister said: “Keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government — but security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it.
“The submarines produced in Barrow will protect Britain for decades to come, and the 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will change lives both in this town and in dozens of places like it.”
The 150-metre-plus Dreadnought submarines will take over from the Vanguard-class boats carrying Britain’s nuclear weapons and upholding the UK’s policy of Continuous At-Sea Deterrence (CASD).
The Dreadnought class will be the largest boats ever built for the Royal Navy, displacing more than 17,000 tonnes. Each submarine will have more than 26 miles of pipework and in excess of 200 miles of cabling, supplying well in excess of 12,000 separate electrical systems.
Four submarines are being built by BAE Systems and subcontractors at a combined cost of at least £31 billion. They will be propelled by nuclear reactors supplied by Rolls-Royce, and will carry the Trident II ballistic missiles which form the U.K.’s CASD; each projectile has up to eight nuclear warheads.
Like their Vanguard-class predecessors, the Dreadnought-class submarines’ range and sailing duration will be limited only by food supplies and mechanical integrity. They will also carry the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo, which has a range of up to 35 nautical miles.
- You can read more details on the BAE Systems website and the U.K. Government website
