BAE Systems has secured a £285m Ministry of Defence contract to upgrade combat systems on Royal Navy warships.
The eight-year RECODE programme will support more than 200 jobs at the London-listed firm’s sites in Filton in South Gloucestershire, Dorchester, New Malden, Frimley and Portsmouth.
The contract will involve delivering BAE Systems’ CMS on the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, Type 45 destroyers and Type 26 frigates.
Steve Carter, naval ships combat systems director at BAE Systems, said: “RECODE represents a huge stride forward in our partnership with the Royal Navy and will help to realise warfare capability of the future.
“The global threat picture, advances in commercial technology and the immense volume of data available to crews means we need to become even more ambitious and far-reaching in our services and support. We are excited and privileged to secure this programme that will sit at the heart of the Navy’s ambition to be a protean force.”
Captain Kevin Miller, combat systems design authority and surface ships combat systems group team leader for the Royal Navy, said: “Today’s challenging landscape means we must adapt and evolve at pace. Agility is at the heart of the programme in three ways – equipment to maintain our capability, process so we can adapt that capability at the pace of relevance and a mindset to ensure we deliver. Those are the key facets that will enable the military advantage our crews are relying on.”
The announcement by BAE Systems comes less than a week after the government said it had tracked a Russian spy ship in the English Channel. The Royal Navy submarine surfaced close to Yantar, the Russian vessel, to warn it had been secretly monitoring its every move.
Defence secretary John Healey said last week: “My message to President Putin is clear. We know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect Britain.”
He added: “We will continue to call out the malign activity that Putin directs, cracking down on the Russian shadow fleet to prevent funding for his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
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