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BAE Systems has delivered the newest section of the first Dreadnought Class ballistic submarine for the Royal Navy, HMS Dreadnought, as work at the company’s Barrow yard progresses at breakneck speed.
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The newest section of the first Dreadnought submarine to be built at BAE Systems’ yard in Barrow has been moved – the unit was the first to make use of new material designed to improve protection for submarine sections as they are moved around the site during construction.
Throughout the construction phase of the four boat Dreadnought class, more than 7,000 people across Britain's defence industry and the Ministry of Defence are expected to be directly employed, while thousands more will benefit from extensive supply chain contracts.
Four Dreadnought Class submarines will be built in Barrow to replace the Vanguard Class that are currently in service with the Royal Navy. HMS Dreadnought, the first of the new fleet, is scheduled to be delivered in the early 2030s.
BAE Systems is the industrial lead for the Dreadnought program and, alongside partners Rolls-Royce, are designing and constructing a new generation of submarines to carry the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent.
Comparable in size to the Vanguard Class submarines, the next generation of nuclear deterrent submarine is widely considered to be one of the world's most complex engineering challenges.
Technological advances, threat changes, new methods of design and production mean the new submarines will be a completely new design – once built, the submarines will measure 152.9 metres long, with a displacement of 17,200 tonnes.
As part of accommodating the larger overall size and capability to be delivered by the Dreadnought class, BAE's submarine site at Barrow-in-Furness has been undergoing a $544 million redevelopment in readiness to accommodate the build of Dreadnought and maintain its proud history of delivering complex submarine programs to the Royal Navy.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
