About us
We are all proud to work alongside the Royal Navy in defending our nation as we are to design, build and deliver the next class of deterrent submarines.
We are proud to protect our nation for future generations, supporting over 30,000 jobs across the UK, making a significant contribution to the economy. These jobs will ensure that the UK retains and develops its world leading skills through a wide range of companies in the supply chain.
Together, we will deliver to the Royal Navy affordable, world-class Dreadnought Class submarines at sea on time.
Alliance partners
We are a commercial alliance between the Ministry of Defence and its two key industrial partners, BAE Systems Submarines and Rolls-Royce Submarines.
Management team
The Alliance Leadership Board (ALB) provides governance of the Alliance on behalf of the parties.
Latest news
Major milestone marked with HMS Dreadnought keel laying ceremony
Today, (20 March 2025), the keel of HMS Dreadnought was officially laid, in a ceremony at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, attended by The Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP.
Read more
Frequently asked questions
£31Bn with a £10Bn contingency fund.
The Alliance Management Committee is responsible for driving delivery of the Programme to performance, time and cost, holding the three supplier organisations (Submarine Delivery Agency (MOD), BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce) to account for delivery of their work scope.
Having a nuclear deterrent has enabled the UK to play a leading role in NATO, European and Global decision making on strategic Defence matters for 50 years. Quite simply, it places the UK on the “top-table” when decisions are taken that impact global security.
From time to time we will need to take submarines out of service for both planned and unplanned maintenance and repair – we also need to keep changing our crews. When you balance these needs out over time, the UK needs a minimum of 4 nuclear submarines in order to guarantee that at least one is always deployed – known as Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD). The UK has maintained CASD unbroken for 50 years.
No. Dreadnought has a mixture of mainly civilian (MOD, RR and BAE) staff. Military staff are employed on the programme but as a secondment from the armed forces.
We would not expect a change of government structure to stop the programme – but as a matter of routine all of our major defence programmes are reviewed every 5 years through a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) regardless of which type of Government is in power.
The next SDSR is due in 2020. Each SDSR seeks to ensure that tax-payer’s money delivers the security the nation needs within its means to afford it.
It is bound to have some impact on the programme – but it will not stop the programme. Our key suppliers are BAE Systems and Rolls Royce and their supply chain is extensively also UK-based. It is possible that fluctuations in exchange rates (particularly with the US) will occur – as we have seen – but changes of this nature happen frequently for all sorts of different reasons and the UK has well established systems that minimise the impact on its defence programmes.