The three-year Torpedo Repair and Maintenance contract runs from July 2026 to June 2029. It will bridge the Royal Navy’s existing support arrangements to Whitehead Mark 2, which will provide a modernised torpedo support solution from 2029 onwards.
BAE Systems will directly support 150 engineering and technician jobs under the contract, including 100 in Portsmouth. Another 50 jobs are supported across Edinburgh, Chelmsford and near Glasgow, while a further 165 are sustained through the company’s UK supply chain.
The Ministry of Defence said the contract will help ensure Royal Navy personnel have reliable and battle-ready torpedo weapons when required. The weapons support the protection of UK waters and trade routes, anti-submarine warfare operations and Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
“Since 2019 we have delivered consistently high levels of torpedo availability for the UK Armed Forces, supporting both the successful entry into service of Spearfish and the ongoing operational readiness of Sting Ray,” said Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land Defence Solutions. “As a trusted partner to UK Defence, we are proud to underpin the nation’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent and anti-submarine warfare capability through exceptional reliability, availability and performance.”
The award also supports the government’s policy of using defence expenditure to sustain skilled employment and advanced engineering capacity in Britain. BAE Systems’ work will span its own facilities and a wider domestic supply chain.
“This is defence spending doing exactly what it should – keeping our country safe while securing 315 skilled jobs and creating new opportunities across our country,” Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said. “We are proud to be backing British jobs, British skills and British industry.”
Royal Navy officials said continuity of torpedo support is directly linked to operational readiness and the UK’s nuclear deterrent mission. “This contract extension ensures the Royal Navy retains a safe, reliable and continuous torpedo support capability,” said Rear Admiral Matt Stratton, Royal Navy Director Naval Acquisition.
“It is a critical enabler of our operational readiness and directly supports the UK’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent,” Stratton said. The contract will maintain the existing support capability until the planned move to Whitehead Mark 2 from 2029.
Richard Murray, Director Lethality and Protect at the National Armaments Director Group – Materiel, said the extension secures continued support for the UK’s torpedo capability. “Bringing together the Navy, National Armaments Director Group and industry as a single team has delivered real, tangible results for UK defence.”
