Defence News – Late July 2026
BAE Systems has begun construction of a new £3.3m paint facility at its Govan shipyard in Glasgow as part of ongoing efforts to modernise its shipbuilding operations and increase production efficiency for the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate programme.
The new 1,100m² fabric-covered building will provide dedicated space for painting ship blocks, enabling other areas of the yard to remain focused on production. Once operational, the facility will be capable of painting four units simultaneously and will be tall enough to accommodate the largest sections of the vessels, including the bow and stern.
The project forms part of BAE Systems’ wider £360m investment programme across its Govan and Scotstoun shipyards, aimed at modernising infrastructure, increasing capacity and improving manufacturing efficiency.
Sourced from The Manufacturer
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The first of 150 British-made artillery barrels are being provided to Ukraine to strengthen the embattled country’s defence under a £61m contract that supports hundreds of jobs in Sheffield.
The 105mm and 155mm gun barrels are being produced at Sheffield Forgemasters under a contract awarded by the UK Government to BAE Systems and announced by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy last year.
This is the first time forged artillery barrels have been produced in the UK for almost two decades.
Sourced from The Business Desk
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Aero-engine group Rolls-Royce is to open a £100m centre in Bristol to carry out research into next-generation combat aircraft, helping it maintain the historic Filton site’s status at the leading edge of military aerospace technology.
The new base will provide a dedicated space for research, manufacturing and assembly, Rolls-Royce said, creating what it called “significant capability for new product development for the future of air combat”.
It added that, when operational, the facility would future-proof the 106-year-old Filton site and keep Rolls-Royce at the forefront of future combat air technology advancements.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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ARMEXIS, a Harrogate-based armoured vehicle designer and manufacturer, has received Letters of Intent and pre-orders covering 90 armoured platforms, following confirmation of its first orders for Ukraine.
It means the defence manufacturer can move from initial customer orders into a wider programme of scaled production, engineering finalisation and supply chain mobilisation.
This follows the firm securing initial orders worth a combined £17.5m for four armoured vehicles destined for Ukraine, including its tracked armoured personnel carrier and infantry fighting vehicle platforms. First deliveries are scheduled for next year.
The company is now calling for strategic investment, delivery partners and specialist talent to help scale production and support national and allied security.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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The UK government has awarded a £708m contract extension to BAE Systems to accelerate the development of next-generation combat air technologies, backing advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital engineering capabilities across the UK’s defence sector.
Announced by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the investment will support the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme while providing critical technologies and infrastructure for the multinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which is developing a sixth-generation combat aircraft alongside international partners.
Led by BAE Systems, the programme will be delivered in partnership with Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce through Team Tempest. Around 600 companies and academic institutions form part of the wider supply chain, with approximately 90% of the jobs supported by the programme located outside London and the south-east.
Sourced from The Manufacturer
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Global concern over security is driving continued progress at BAE Systems, illustrated today (July 30) by Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s pledge on nuclear submarine investment ahead of his visit to BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness base.
The defence group employs thousands of North West staff manufacturing Typhoon fighter aircraft near Preston in Lancashire and nuclear submarines in Barrow.
Burnham said ongoing investment in nuclear submarines will “protect Britain for decades to come” and also support 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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The UK will continue to be kept safe around the clock for decades to come, as major investments will progress the next phase of the build of the next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines, while backing British jobs.
During a visit to BAE Systems (BAES) shipyard in Barrow, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was accompanied on the visit by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, announced that government funding worth around £8.4 billion has been committed to begin the fourth major production phase of the UK’s Dreadnought Class submarine programme. The Prime Minister highlighted the pace of progress in the build and the government’s enduring commitment to national security and economic growth.
As part of this investment, a contract worth £5.9 billion has been agreed by the government and BAES, the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) industry partner responsible for delivering submarine production from their shipyard in Barrow, the home of UK submarine building. Further investments will be committed to Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby and the wider supply chain across the UK.
Sourced from gov.uk
