Contract refit strategic missile submarine to Babcock Marine and Rolls-Royce

The government has awarded a £300m contract to Babcock Marine and Rolls-Royce for the refit of its strategic missile submarine, HMS Vigilant.

The 16,000-tonne submarine will be kitted with an updated weapons system and a new nuclear reactor core over a period of three and a half years at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. At peak construction, the work is expected to secure 1,000 jobs in the dockyard and a further 1,000 across the industry.