BAE Systems Nets £1.3B Contract for Anson Submarine
November 24, 2015 | BAE SystemsEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The full contract covers the design and remaining build, test and commissioning activities on Anson, the fifth of seven technologically-advanced submarines in the class. Manufacturing commenced in 2010. Anson is now at an advanced stage of construction at our Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria site and on schedule to leave for sea trials in 2020.
Tony Johns, Managing Director of BAE Systems Submarines, said: "Signing this contract is an important milestone in the Astute programme.
"This is a hugely complex national endeavour and we are proud of the role we play in helping to protect our nation's interests.
"HMS Astute and HMS Ambush are already demonstrating their world-class capabilities with the Royal Navy, whilst the third submarine in the class, Artful, is continuing with her sea trials. The build phase for the fourth, Audacious, is also well advanced, so we continue to make positive progress across the programme."
The contract was announced by Philip Dunne MP, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, during a visit to our Company today.
He said: “This £1.3 billion contract marks an important step in the progress of the Astute programme. This is a key part of our £166 billion plan to ensure that our armed forces have the equipment they need to defend the UK’s interests across the seas, in the skies and on land, both at home and abroad.”
“This new contract for Anson not only provides significant financial savings of £50 million to the taxpayer but also secures thousands of jobs in Barrow and across the UK supply chain, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending each year for the rest of the decade.”
We employ more than 7,600 people in our Submarines business, including those working on the Astute programme. Boat six Agamemnon and the yet-to-be named seventh are also under construction in Barrow.
Astute class submarines mark a step change in defence capability. Powered by a nuclear-reactor, each of the submarines will provide land strike, strategic intelligence-gathering, anti-submarine and surface ship warfare capabilities.
We are also leading the design phase on the programme to replace the current fleet of Vanguard submarines, which carry the UK's strategic national deterrent.
In readiness for the start of construction on this programme, our site is undergoing significant redevelopment with new facilities to be built alongside the refurbishment of others.
Subscribe
Stay ahead of the technologies shaping the future of electronics with our latest newsletter, Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest. Get expert insights on advanced packaging, materials, and system-level innovation, delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now to stay informed, competitive, and connected.
Suggested Items
What Heterogeneous Integration Means for EMS Providers
05/14/2026 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Dr. Ravi Mahajan, an Intel Fellow and Director of Intel’s Technology and Pathfinding group, delivered a keynote at the APEX EXPO 2026 technical conference on using heterogeneous integration (HI) as a strategy and on how advanced packaging technology serves as the technical apex for implementing that strategy. Mahajan’s previous papers and industry presentations on such topics as interconnect density, signal integrity, power delivery, thermal path, and assembly yield as system-level constraints confirm him as an expert on package optimization.
System Architecture Beyond the Die With Advanced Packaging as the Scaling Factor
05/14/2026 | Chetan Arvind Patil, Marvell TechnologyIn conventional monolithic semiconductor design, system integration was achieved within a single die and constrained by reticle limits. Compute cores, cache, memory controllers, and input output (I/O) interfaces were all co-optimized on a single process node, with performance closely tied to transistor density and on-die interconnect efficiency. This monolithic system-on-chip (SoC) approach enabled low-latency communication and relatively straightforward power delivery. However, as design for compute-intensive SoCs approaches reticle limits and advanced-node costs increase, the ability to continue scaling within a single die begins to diminish.
Intel Foundry Push Gains Momentum With Apple as Potential Customer
05/13/2026 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamApple’s reported decision to tap Intel as a manufacturing partner for future chips could mark one of the most significant shifts in the semiconductor supply chain in years, with implications that extend well beyond consumer electronics.
I-Connect007 Announces Upcoming Issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
05/13/2026 | I-Connect007The next issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest examines the materials, architectures, and integration strategies shaping the next phase of electronics innovation, from reinforcement materials under thermal and frequency pressure to heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging as a system-level scaling factor.
I-Connect007 Releases The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication
05/15/2026 | I-Connect007As PCB complexity continues to accelerate, fabricators and OEMs are reevaluating long-standing manufacturing processes to meet the demands of AI, HDI, advanced packaging, and next-generation electronics. To address these evolving challenges, I-Connect007 is proud to announce the release of The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication, authored by MacDermid Alpha Solution’s Carmichael Gugliotti.
Copyright © I-Connect007 | IPC Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Log in