Rolls-Royce announced it plans to almost double the size of its Raynesway site, creating hundreds of new jobs in Derby. Funded by the MoD, the site development is required to meet the growth in demand from the Royal Navy and as a result of the recent AUKUS announcement.
In March 2023 it was confirmed that Rolls-Royce Submarines would provide all the nuclear reactor plants that will power new attack submarines as part of the tri-lateral agreement between Australia, the UK and US.
This increase in demand will see new manufacturing and office facilities being built on recently acquired land surrounding the existing Raynesway site. It will also create 1,170 skilled roles within Rolls-Royce across a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering.
“This is a truly exciting time for our business, with work secured that will see us support UK and Australian submarines well into the second half of this century. It will see thousands of jobs created across the UK supply chain, many of which here in Derby, and we’re proud to be playing our part in this international endeavour”, said Rolls-Royce Submarines President Steve Carlier. “For over 60 years we have provided the power to the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines and our expansion plans are the first step in helping Australia acquire their own nuclear propulsion attack submarine capability, while showcasing British innovation and expertise on the world stage.”
Image: Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 4,000 people and designs, manufactures and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
To ensure a steady pipeline of future talent into the industry, last year Rolls-Royce, with investment from the MoD, opened a new Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby. It will provide 200 apprenticeships each year for at least the next decade. This latest announcement comes as outline planning permission is submitted to Derby City Council covering over 100,000 sqm of new floorspace across the Raynesway estate.
Rolls-Royce is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components. Additionally, it provides frontline support across the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane.
U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs and Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets flew a NORAD homeland defense mission on Oct. 25 that drew aircraft from three bases in Alaska and one in Alberta.
Lockheed Martin is investing more than $8 billion through 2030 to expand missile production, modernize more than 20 facilities and hire workers, Chief Executive Jim Taiclet said.
GE Aerospace says it has cut 12 months from the schedule to qualify its T901 helicopter engine and reduced the expected cost of that work by about $75 million.
The U.S. Air Force’s 388th Fighter Wing is training ground crews to refuel and rearm F-35A Lightning II fighters at the same time, with the engine running and the pilot still in the cockpit.
The U.S. State Department said on Nov. 6 it had approved a possible sale of up to 11 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico, with the package valued at up to $1.1 billion.
The U.S. Marine Corps is buying two RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicles from Textron Systems and its subsidiary Howe & Howe for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
The Pentagon said it has delivered more than 25,000 unmanned and counter-drone systems to U.S. Central Command in 2026, backed by about $782 million in investment.
