A DEAL for £370m worth of torpedo work has boosted Hampshire’s defence industry.
Although the deal to support and maintain the Royal Navy’s Spearfish and Sting Ray weapons is between the Ministry of Defence and Hampshire defence giant BAE Systems, the impact will be felt by thousands of county workers.
Four other Hampshire firms – Eaton Aerospace in Titchfield, Wallop Defence in Middle Wallop, FPT in Portsmouth and Portsmouth Aviation, are all key subcontractors on the project.
The contract will safeguard around 120 posts at BAES Insyte in Portsmouth as well as a number of other roles at subcontractors.
The deal is welcome news for the region’s defence industry after Hamble’s GE Aviation, which makes civilian and military aircraft parts, last week announced it is to shed 96 jobs.
Spearfish is a submarine-launched heavyweight torpedo designed for both anti-submarine warfare and to attack surface ships. Sting Ray is a lightweight anti-submarine torpedo carried aboard RN ships, Lynx and Merlin Helicopters and RAF Nimrod Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said: “The contract will provide a more cohesive and efficient approach to our torpedo support programme and ensures that the UK sustains this important capability into the future.
“These potent British-designed and built weapons arm the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet, surface fleet and helicopters and RAF Nimrod patrol aircraft. The contract further demonstrates our continued investment in high-technology defence equipment for our Armed Forces.”
MoD Defence Equipment and Support Torpedoes Project team leader, captain Jim Johnson RN, said: “This ten-year availability contract is a radical improvement over legacy arrangements and has significantly reduced costs.
“It delivers more coherent and affordable support for torpedoes and also provides the foundation for the development and upgrade of the Spearfish weapon.”
