The
new submarine will be one of the stealthiest submarines in the world.
It will also be the safest and most technically advanced submarine ever
built in the UK.
Work
on the submarine’s design will draw on cutting edge capabilities
in innovation, design and engineering, employing around 2,500 highly-skilled
people in the UK from BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce. Hundreds
of potential suppliers, including Small and Medium Enterprises, have
also been identified across the country.
"The
round the clock nuclear deterrent is as crucial to Britain’s national
security now as it has ever been. We use it everyday to deter extreme
threats that cannot be countered by any other means," UK's
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said.
"When
there are 17,000 nuclear weapons in the world, we can’t wish away
threats we face now and those that may emerge in the 2030s, 2040s, and
2050s," he added.
"We
are now in the detailed design stage of the most technologically advanced
nuclear submarine in the history of the Royal Navy. Building on cutting
edge developments carried out by the MOD, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and
Babcock, this funding will allow us to continue to move forwards with
the programme," Chief of Materiel (Fleet) Vice Admiral Simon
Lister added:
The
funding, is part of the overall US$ 4.7 billion package announced in
the last parliament for the Assessment Phase of the Successor submarine
programme.
Four
Vanguard submarines – which currently maintain the UK’s
nuclear deterrent - will be replaced from the early 2030s.
Within
the next four years all the UK’s submarines will be based in Scotland.
This will lead to the creation of 1,400 new jobs taking the total number
employed at HM Naval Base Clyde to 8,200 by 2022. | 
A
CGI image of what the replacement to the Vanguard class submarines might
look like