Story perspectives

UK awards £4B contracts for SSN-AUKUS submarine launch

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 12:12 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The UK will begin cutting steel for the first SSN-AUKUS submarine in 2027.
Contracts worth about £4 billion have been awarded for development and long-lead items.
Around £6 billion will modernise Barrow shipyard, Rolls-Royce Derby and the supply chain.
The programme aims for one SSN-AUKUS submarine every 18 months, with fleet size decided by end-2028.

History

Historical Context

In 1993 the UK commissioned HMS Vanguard, its first Trident-armed SSBN, built at Barrow’s Devonshire Dock Hall where the 16,000-tonne vessels were assembled. The large-scale programme set a procurement template that the 2016 Trident renewal vote and subsequent submarine contracts have followed, sustaining Barrow’s shipbuilding capacity and the nation’s strategic autonomy.

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Story summary

The UK will begin cutting steel for the first SSN-AUKUS submarine in 2027.
Contracts worth about £4 billion have been awarded for development and long-lead items.
Around £6 billion will modernise Barrow shipyard, Rolls-Royce Derby and the supply chain.
The programme aims for one SSN-AUKUS submarine every 18 months, with fleet size decided by end-2028.

1 / 2