Vital warships providing supplies and technical support to the
Royal Navy's aircraft carriers will made by British-led teams,
Defence Secretary has announced.
A competition to build three Fleet Solid Support warships - which
will launch in Spring 2021 - will help revitalise British
shipbuilding by requiring a significant proportion of the build
and assembly work to be carried out in the UK.
International companies will be invited to work in collaboration
with UK firms to feed in their skills and expertise, but the
successful manufacturing team must be led by a British company.
This will have a huge impact on the local economies across the UK
where shipbuilding is a prominent feature.
Hundreds of highly skilled jobs will be created as a direct
result of today’s announcement, with many more in small and
medium sized enterprises throughout the supply chain for the new
builds to follow over the next few years.
The Defence Secretary confirmed the news ahead of his speech at
the Atlantic Future Forum, where UK and US leaders have gathered
on HMS Queen Elizabeth to discuss cooperation across trade,
defence and security.
The speech will outline the UK’s commitment to shipbuilding and
pledge further burden-sharing with the US and NATO, thanks to the
cutting-edge capability of the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers.
Defence Secretary said:
"Shipbuilding has historically been a British success story, and
I am determined to revitalise this amazing industry as part of
this Government's commitment to build back better.
“The Fleet Solid Support warships competition will be the genesis
of a great UK shipbuilding industry, and allow us to develop the
skills and expertise for the shipyards of tomorrow.”
The Fleet Solid Support ship competition will build on the
success of the Type 31 programme, which will be built primarily
in Scotland and is expected to support 1250 highly skilled jobs
and 150 apprenticeships across the country.
The Fleet Solid Support warships competition will be designed to
challenge the shipbuilding industry. The goal will be to build
ships fit for the future, while boosting homegrown skills and
leading to a highly competitive shipbuilding industry.
The warships will incorporate next-generation technology with a
purpose-built design and will eventually support HMS Queen
Elizabeth and Prince of Wales as part of the Carrier Strike
Group, which will undertake its first operational deployment next
year.
Today's announcement follows a period of market engagement and a
clearer understanding of how the strike group will operate and
will allow the MOD to consider a broader range of ship designs.
As well as setting out requirements for British involvement, the
Fleet Solid Support ship competition will set targets to ensure
industry delivers on time and at pace.
In his role as Shipbuilding Tsar, the Defence Secretary is
actively reinvigorating UK shipbuilding by working with industry,
other government departments, and international partners to boost
productivity and competitiveness.
Just this week, the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Australia to continue building and delivering the next generation
of cutting-edge frigates together.
The Type 26 frigate programme consists of 8 ships and will
sustain 1,700 jobs in Scotland and 4,000 jobs across the wider
maritime supply chain until 2035.
