Dreadnought

Dreadnought programme

Overview
News

The Dreadnought Class will replace the existing Barrow-built Vanguard fleet and will be the Royal Navy’s biggest, most powerful and technically advanced submarines when they begin to enter service in the early 2030s.

Their construction is the biggest defence project underway in the UK today, involving new levels of innovation, technology and collaboration, and is also one of the largest and most complex engineering projects in the world. Work on the first two boats in the class - Dreadnought and Valiant - is well underway at our shipyard in Barrow

The accommodation unit from the first-of-class Dreadnought submarine.

'Built with pride in Barrow' the latest piece of the first-of-class Dreadnought submarine makes a move in July 2020.

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BAE Systems is building the fleet of four submarines, with each one measuring 153.6 metres long, more than the length of three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Dreadnought is the first Royal Navy submarine to have mixed crews so has been designed with separate male and female crew quarters. It has also been designed with 'day' and 'night' lighting and a host of technological innovations.

In 2016, we commenced the first steel-cut for the programme. Since then all four boats have been named Dreadnought, Valiant, Warspite and King George VI.

Production begins on Successor programme

The submarines will continue to provide the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, the country’s ultimate guarantee of security. Operation Relentless has been on patrol every day since 1969.

New research has revealed for the first time the significant contribution the Dreadnought submarine programme makes to the UK economy, supporting almost 30,000 jobs across the country.

While nearly half of these jobs reside in the North West of England, the supply chain for Dreadnought extends to every region of the UK. BAE Systems estimates it will spend in the region of £7.5 billion with 1,500 supply chain companies over the life of the programme across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Approximately 10,000 people work on the Dreadnought and Astute submarine programmes at the Company’s Barrow site. Recruitment continues with experienced hires, apprentices and graduates needed for a wide range of roles including manufacturing, engineering, operations and project management.