Engineering giant Babcock have been named as the preferred bidder for a contract to build five Royal Navy Type 31 warships.
The new warships will be built at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife supporting more than 2,500 jobs across the UK.
Once the formal contract is awarded Babcock will start with detailed design work with manufacturing starting in 2021.
Archie Bethel, Babcock chief executive said, “Driven by innovation and backed by experience and heritage, Arrowhead 140 is a modern warship that will meet the maritime threats of today and tomorrow, with British ingenuity and engineering at its core.
“It provides a flexible, adaptable platform that delivers value for money and supports the UK’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.
“Arrowhead 140 will offer the Royal Navy a new class of ship with a proven ability to deliver a range of peacekeeping, humanitarian and war-fighting capabilities whilst offering communities and supply chains throughout the UK a wide range of economic and employment opportunities.”
Boris Johnson said, “The UK is an outward-looking island nation and we need a shipbuilding industry and Royal Navy that reflect the importance of the seas to our security and prosperity.
“This is an industry with a deep and visceral connection to so many parts of the UK and to the union itself.
“My Government will do all it can to develop this aspect of our heritage and the men and women who make up its workforce – from apprentices embarking on a long career to those families who have worked in shipyards for generations.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “These mighty ships will form the next generation of the Royal Navy fleet.
“The Type 31 frigates will be a fast, agile and versatile warship, projecting power and influence across the globe.
“The ships will be vital to the Royal Navy’s mission to keeping peace, providing life-saving humanitarian aid and safeguarding the economy across the world from the North Atlantic, to the Gulf, and in the Asia Pacific.”
Leave a Comment