Trident nuclear submarine contracts dished out
The Atomic Weapons Establishment plant in Aldermaston offered no comment when approached by the Newbury Weekly News.
Despite a promise by the Conservative party not to make any announcement on the future of Trident until 2016 critics argue that the contracts signal obvious steps by the Ministry of Defence to create the next generation of nuclear submarines.
The contracts are part of a £3bn design phase announced 12 months ago concerning the replacement of the four Trident nuclear submarines.
The first submarine is due to be delivered in 2028.
Contracts have been awarded to BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the contracts were a significant step towards renewing the nation’s nuclear deterrent for the next 50 years.
"By making the core equipment programme fully funded and affordable, we are able to confirm additional equipment projects which help safeguard our national security,” he said.
The Ministry of Defence said the contracts were for the design of the Successor submarines, not the Trident missiles that they will carry.
Two weeks ago the Government announced is to pump £1billion a year into West Berkshire’s Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) plants until 2018.
AWE said the cash would be spent on capital projects at the bomb-making plant in Aldermaston and its Burghfield counterpart, including production and research facilities.
The MP for Newbury Richard Bebyon hailed the news and said he was delighted at the commitment.
“AWE really is a centre of excellence of science and engineering and is hugely important to the local area,” he said.
AWE Aldermaston produces Trident nuclear defence missiles and parts of its site are currently undergoing redevelopment to extend their testing capability scope for designing warheads.
Anti-nuclear campaigners at the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Nuclear Information Service said they believed the money would be used on new warheads, a claim which AWE denied.