Defence Secretary visits Appledore yard as warship competition ramps up
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson paid a visit to Babcock鈥檚 Appledore shipyard this morning, as the company announced further details of its bid to help build a new class of warship.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson paid a visit to Babcock鈥檚 Appledore shipyard this morning. Crown copyright.
皇冠体育app Ministry of Defence announced plans to procure a new class of frigates, the Type 31e, as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy which was launched last year. 皇冠体育app warships will be built in the UK, with a set price cap no more than 拢250M per frigate for the first batch of five, with an investment decision to be made at the end of this year.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
Visiting a shipyard that has built hundreds of vessels and meeting some of the next generation of apprentice shipbuilders leaves me in no doubt of the current resurgence of UK shipbuilding. 皇冠体育app South West is crucial for our military, with a particularly special connection with our Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and it鈥檚 good to see Babcock seeking to strengthen that even further with this bid.
皇冠体育app department has received over 20 expressions of interest from industry with Babcock today announcing it will lead a bespoke team of industry partners, including Thales, BMT, Harland & Wolff and Ferguson Marine in a bid for the new Type 31e.
皇冠体育app MOD spent 拢810 per person in the South West region last year, greater than any other region in the UK coming in at a total value of 拢4.4bn. 皇冠体育app department鈥檚 direct spend in the area is estimated to sustain 30,000 jobs, one in every 70.
Babcock鈥檚 Appledore facility has been a particularly integral link in the production of the largest ships in the Navy鈥檚 history, with their production of a number of significant 鈥榖locks鈥� of the UK鈥檚 new aircraft carriers. Separately, the Appledore yard has recently been working to deliver a new class of offshore patrol vessels for the Irish Naval Service.
皇冠体育app Defence Secretary was given a guided tour of the yard and visited some of the 260 staff employed there and met with the apprentices showing their enthusiasm for the potential opportunity to build cutting-edge ships for the growing Royal Navy.
皇冠体育app frigates will be designed to meet the needs of the Royal Navy, but also with the export market in mind. 皇冠体育app Government will work with industry to provide support to become internationally competitive, boosting the UK economy and jobs, while also helping to create a more stable and well-protected world.
皇冠体育app Defence Secretary will go on to visit the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, which is entering its 78th year of training Royal Marines. An average of 1,300 recruits, 2,000 potential recruits and 400 potential officers attend training courses at the centre every year, and the Defence Secretary will meet many of those set to join the Corps.