BAE SYSTEMS and Rolls-Royce have been granted defence contracts worth more than £2bn to boost the country's submarine-based nuclear deterrent.

The two companies will begin the third major phase of the country's future nuclear deterrent programme.

This includes the largest submarines ever built for the Royal Navy. The investment is the latest financial commitment between the

Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce.

It is also the initial funding round within a planned overall total of nearly £10bn for the entire delivery process.

The third delivery phase will bring the first of four submarines, HMS Dreadnought, which will exit the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to begin sea trials.

HMS Dreadnought will be part of the Dreadnought class, the largest selection of submarines in the Royal

Navy's history.

The programme is crucial to sustaining the UK's Continuous at Sea Deterrence, with the overall programme supporting around 30,000 jobs across the UK, all the way from early design through to build.

Defence procurement minister Jeremy Quin said: "The Dreadnought class will be crucial to maintaining and safeguarding our national security, with the nuclear deterrent protecting every UK citizen from the most extreme threats."

(c) 2022 City A.M., source Newspaper