Royal Navy: Vital upgrades for warships as high-skilled jobs secured for Portsmouth in £250m deal - details
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Vital upgrades are set to be made to Royal Navy ships with high-skilled jobs being secured in Portsmouth.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed £250m contract with defence giant Thales to revamp communication systems on warships and submarines. This is the largest-ever contract for the provision, with jobs being supported in Portsmouth, Bristol, Plymouth, Crawley and Reading.
Maria Eagle, minister for defence procurement, said: “This new contract is a vital step in ensuring our forces remain secure at home and strong abroad. By enhancing the capabilities of our naval operations, we are reinforcing the UK’s ability to respond to threats wherever they arise.
“In an increasingly volatile world, robust communication is the backbone of operational success. In the face of global threats, the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy will ensure defence is an engine for growth, boosting British jobs, and strengthening national security.”
The 10-year long contract for Maritime Communications Capability Support (MCCS), awarded by the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) arm of the MoD, will see improvements made to the Royal Navy’s internal and external fleet communications. These systems are a critical component of a vessel’s ability to operate and fight.
The MCCS arrangement replaces the previous Fleetwide Communications contract which Thales UK has overseen for the past seven years. Thales UK will also provide “waterfront” office services, recovery for ageing equipment and inventory management, ensuring spare part availability and ongoing defect repairs as required.
Commodore Phil Game, from DE&S, said: “this announcement ensures the Royal Navy continues to have effective and secure communications equipment with continuous support from Thales, which has Europe’s largest team of marine communications engineers, supporting its vital work keeping the UK and our allies safe. Crucially, we have looked at outcomes from other successful defence programmes and applied the lessons learned from those, in particular cutting unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy allowing Thales much more freedom to get the job done.”
It’s estimated the contract will save the Royal Navy up to £30m in costs over the next decade. Thales UK CEO Phil Siveter said the contract will put the force at the “cutting-edge” of defence for the next decade.
“This long-term fleetwide support framework reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring the Royal Navy remains combat-ready and equipped with world-class communications capabilities, today and into the future,” he added. “Building on seven years of trusted partnership, we are proud to provide the technical excellence and on-the-ground support that keeps ships, submarines and installations operational and mission-ready.”