UK announces £8.4 billion boost for Trident renewal under Dreadnought submarine programme

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced an £8.4 billion phase of contracts for the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme.

The Dreadnought programme, with a total cost of £31 billion, is building next-generation ballistic missile submarines to replace the Vanguard-class fleet.

The investment is expected to support 18,000 additional jobs in the nuclear defence sector by 2030 and create 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035.

The Dreadnought-class submarines will be powered by the PWR3 nuclear reactor and carry Trident II D5 SLBMs, reducing launch tubes from 16 to 12.

Burnham described Trident renewal as the cornerstone of Britain's defence strategy, linking military investment to long-term economic benefits and reindustrialisation.