The UK Ministry of announced that  it has awarded BAE Systems a further £315M for ongoing design work for the replacement to the Royal Navy’s Vanguard class submarines.

The announcement followed the one made in May this year, when it revealed it had placed an initial £328M design phase contract with BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines.

The Vanguard class, which carries the UK’s nuclear deterrent, will be replaced from 2028. BAE Systems already has more than 1,000 employees working on the replacement programme, the majority of which are focused on developing the new submarine’s complex design.

BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines Managing Director John Hudson said: “The design of a nuclear-powered submarine is one of the most complex and technically demanding engineering programmes undertaken by the maritime industry. This further work underlines the MoD’s confidence in our ability to deliver a design that will meet the future needs of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.