Babcock, the Aerospace and Defence company, has been awarded a multimillion pound contract extension to manufacture a further 18 tactical Missile Tube Assemblies (MTAs) for General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB).

It is part of the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) project for the UK Dreadnought class and US Columbia class submarine programmes, and will support more than 200 Advanced Manufacturing jobs at Babcock’s Rosyth and Bristol facilities.

This highly specialised, internationally significant work reinforces Babcock’s position as a critical supplier of MTAs, utilising its digital manufacturing skills and expertise to support the future deterrent submarine programmes for both the UK and US Navies.

Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: "This is a prime example of the capability of our defence industry to deliver specialised and complex manufacturing in support of an internationally significant programme. The contract extension will support 200 highly-skilled jobs in Bristol and Rosyth, building next-generation technology for our vital nuclear deterrent."

Since 2014, Babcock has successfully secured competitive contracts with GDEB to manufacture 57 MTAs. The latest of these contracts included an option to supply an additional 18 MTAs, resulting in the recent contract extension.

This brings the total number of tactical MTAs that will be manufactured by Babcock for Electric Boat to 75, and will see Babcock’s work transition from the UK Dreadnought to the US Columbia programme.

John Howie, chief executive of marine at Babcock, said: "We’re delighted to be awarded this contract extension, which is testament to the skills and capability of our workforce, as well as the quality of product we are delivering. This work will help support more than 200 cutting-edge manufacturing roles at Rosyth and Bristol until at least 2026."

This latest award is a real vote of confidence in the Babcock team and positions it well for subsequent awards.

Babcock’s programme of work has been supported by a multimillion-pound facilities investment at Rosyth and Bristol.