Rolls-Royce Submarines has signed an innovative contract with industry experts Assystem, AtkinsRéalis and Frazer-Nash to boost collaboration and gain benefit from the unique nuclear capabilities of each company.
The new Capability Assured Strategic Partnership (CASP) backs UK based businesses and represents a step forward in bringing together nuclear capability to better support the UK Royal Navy’s submarines programme and the wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
With a value of up to £400m, this strategic alliance represents one of the largest single supply chain contracts in the history of Rolls-Royce Submarines. Having worked with all three partners for over 20 years, they are uniquely placed to support its future growth ambitions in advanced nuclear technologies.
It represents a long-term commitment from the partners to deliver the collective engineering capabilities, nuclear expertise, and other professional services that Rolls-Royce can utilise to meet growing demand from the Ministry of Defence, and beyond.
In March 2023, it was confirmed that Rolls-Royce Submarines would provide all the nuclear reactor plants that will power new attack submarines as part of the tri-lateral agreement between Australia, the UK and US.
This increase in demand from the Ministry of Defence and the AUKUS agreement means Rolls-Royce plans to double the footprint of its Raynesway site in Derby to support both UK and Australian defence programs. Delivering the Defence Industrial Strategy, the build of new manufacturing and office facilities will create more than 1,000 skilled roles across a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering, plus hundreds more across the supply chain.
Rolls-Royce has powered the UK Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines for over 65 years and is the only private company in the world with the nuclear capability to manage reactor design, manufacture and decommissioning within one single entity.