Defence Online

£135 Million Torpedo Maintenance Contract Keeps Royal Navy’s Undersea Weapons Combat-Ready

Maritime August 6, 2026

A new Torpedo Repair and Maintenance contract awarded to BAE Systems bridges to a longer-term modernisation programme while sustaining highly skilled engineering roles across Portsmouth, Edinburgh, Chelmsford and Glasgow – and keeping the Royal Navy’s Spearfish and Sting Ray torpedoes operationally ready.

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £135 million contract to BAE Systems to maintain and repair the Royal Navy’s torpedo weapons, sustaining around 315 jobs across the UK and ensuring continuous availability of one of the service’s most operationally critical undersea capabilities. The three-year Torpedo Repair and Maintenance contract runs from July 2026 to June 2029 and covers both the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo used by submarines and the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo deployed from surface warships and maritime patrol aircraft.

The contract directly sustains 150 highly skilled engineering and technician roles at BAE Systems – 100 in Portsmouth and a further 50 across Edinburgh, Chelmsford and near Glasgow – with an additional 165 jobs supported through BAE’s UK supply chain. The geographic spread of the employment impact reflects the programme’s role as a contributor to the government’s wider commitment to using defence spending to drive economic growth and create well-paid, long-term jobs in advanced manufacturing and engineering communities across the country.

The operational significance of the contract extends beyond its employment footprint. Torpedoes are among the Royal Navy’s most important tools for defending UK waters, protecting trade routes and maintaining the Continuous At Sea Deterrent – the unbroken cycle of nuclear submarine patrols that forms the cornerstone of Britain’s nuclear deterrence. Without reliable, battle-ready torpedo capability, each of those functions is compromised. Rear Admiral Matt Stratton, Royal Navy Director Naval Acquisition, described the contract as a critical enabler of operational readiness and a direct support to the UK’s CASD, while Richard Murray, Director Lethality and Protect at the National Armaments Director Group, framed the delivery model – bringing together the Navy, NAD Group and industry as a single team – as having delivered real and tangible results for UK defence.

BAE Systems has held torpedo support responsibilities since 2019, during which time it has delivered consistently high levels of availability for both Spearfish and Sting Ray, including supporting Spearfish’s successful entry into service. Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land Defence Solutions, described the company as a trusted partner underpinning the nation’s CASD and anti-submarine warfare capability through reliability, availability and performance – a track record that provides the foundation for the current contract extension.

The TRAM contract is explicitly designed as a bridge rather than a long-term solution. It maintains continuous torpedo support capability through to June 2029, at which point the WHITEHEAD2 programme will deliver a modernised torpedo support solution designed to keep the Royal Navy ahead of future undersea threats. The sequencing – a three-year maintenance bridge followed by a modernised long-term programme – reflects a deliberate approach to sustaining operational capability without a gap while the longer-term solution is developed and brought into service. For the supply chain, WHITEHEAD2 represents a significant and growing opportunity that will emerge from the current contract period.

The investment forms part of the £298 billion four-year commitment announced under the Defence Investment Plan, which has placed sustained undersea capability – including submarines, torpedo systems and seabed warfare – among the highest priorities for Royal Navy investment.

For the UK defence supply chain

The TRAM contract and the WHITEHEAD2 programme that follows it represent a sustained and technically demanding pipeline of torpedo support, maintenance and modernisation work with direct supply chain implications across undersea weapons, precision engineering and naval systems. The 165 supply chain jobs already supported through BAE’s existing network illustrate the breadth of sub-tier demand generated by a programme of this kind – and the transition to WHITEHEAD2 from 2029 will create additional opportunities as the modernised support solution is designed, developed and brought into service.

Image: © Crown copyright

Join our new expanding community at DPRTE.co.uk  – our new Defence Community Platform, creating a single, year-round digital hub for the UK’s defence procurement and supply chain sector.

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.