Rolls-Royce Secures £9B for UK Nuclear Submarines

The UK’s nuclear deterrent looks different from other world powers. It’s a singular approach—rather than building the capability to deploy nuclear weapons by air or land, the UK transports its deterrent via submarine.

Rolls-Royce is the only company that supplies the nuclear power systems for the UK’s submarine fleet, and on Friday, that program got a boost. The UK awarded Rolls-Royce a contract worth ~£9B ($11.3B) over eight years to support the nation’s submarine fleet.

In addition to supporting the existing fleet, Rolls-Royce will use the funding to continue building the new Dreadnought class of submarines.
The UK is calling this contract “Unity.” It’s meant to be a new type of contract that streamlines related project work for cheaper, more efficient deployment of technology and services.

“National security is a foundation of our government’s plan for change, and this is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which is our ultimate insurance policy in a more dangerous world,” UK Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement.

Rolls’in on the river: The active fleet of nuclear submarines is on constant patrol around the country. These four existing submarines, members of the Vanguard class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), are each powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 pressurized water reactor. Each has been in operation for more than 25 years, and together, they represent the UK’s capability for nuclear deterrence.

These submarines are scheduled to be replaced in the early 2030s by a new fleet of three Dreadnought-class vessels powered by the next generation of Rolls-Royce pressurized water reactors, the PWR3. The program is expected to cost £31B ($38.8B).

The contract is aimed at strengthening this deterrence program and, by extension, the UK’s part in the AUKUS trilateral partnership with Australia and the US.

Building the team: Strengthening the nuclear workforce has been a key goal of the UK government in recent years, and this initiative with Rolls-Royce is expected to create about 1,000 jobs in the sector while maintaining an additional ~4,000.

“Investing in nuclear expertise is critical for the UK, as demand for this talent increases across both defence and civil industries,” Rolls-Royce said in a release.