Government pledges £1.3 billion to build four new submarines for Royal Navy

MORE than a billion in government funding has been pledged to build four new submarines for the Royal Navy.
Trident sub CREDIT PIC

Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious, A Trident missile-armed Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine leaving its base at HMNB Clyde
Photo: LA(Phot) Will Haigh/MOD

Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious departs HMNB Clyde under the Scottish summer sunshine to conduct continuation training.  



The Royal Navy has operated the UKs Continuous at Sea Deterrent since 1967 when the first SSBN  or Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear  HMS Resolution began patrolling armed with the Polaris missile system. PPP-160718-125346001Trident sub CREDIT PIC

Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious, A Trident missile-armed Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine leaving its base at HMNB Clyde
Photo: LA(Phot) Will Haigh/MOD

Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious departs HMNB Clyde under the Scottish summer sunshine to conduct continuation training.  



The Royal Navy has operated the UKs Continuous at Sea Deterrent since 1967 when the first SSBN  or Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear  HMS Resolution began patrolling armed with the Polaris missile system. PPP-160718-125346001
Trident sub CREDIT PIC Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious, A Trident missile-armed Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine leaving its base at HMNB Clyde Photo: LA(Phot) Will Haigh/MOD Royal Navy submarine HMS Victorious departs HMNB Clyde under the Scottish summer sunshine to conduct continuation training. The Royal Navy has operated the UKs Continuous at Sea Deterrent since 1967 when the first SSBN  or Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear  HMS Resolution began patrolling armed with the Polaris missile system. PPP-160718-125346001

Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence, announced today that nearly £1.3 billion in funding has been pledged for the new submarines to replace the current Vanguard class as part of the Successor programme.

The first submarine will enter service in the early 2030s.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will cover the initial manufacturing work, which starts next week.

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Construction of the submarines will take place at Portsmouth-based BAE Systems’ site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Mr Fallon said: ‘Britain’s ballistic missile submarines are the ultimate guarantee of our nation’s safety - we use them everyday to deter the most extreme threats.

‘We cannot know what new dangers we might face in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s so we are acting now to replace them.’

The announcement was welcomed by defence giants BAE Systems,

Tony Johns, managing director of BAE Systems Submarines added: ‘This additional financial investment by the MoD is an expression of confidence in our ability to build these sophisticated vessels.’