BAE Systems has signed a £60m torpedo contract

The Ministry of Defence has awarded BAE Systems a £60 million contract to upgrade the Royal Navy’s autonomous Sting Ray lightweight torpedo.

The team will design and develop the Sting Ray torpedo upgrade over a four-year assessment phase, which will include the construction of prototypes and in-water trials. The upgrade will implement new technological features, including added deployment options, ensuring that Sting Ray continues to meet the challenge of emerging threats now and into the future.

The new contract will support more than 80 highly-skilled engineering jobs at BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business in Portsmouth as well as around 20 specialist manufacturing jobs at BAE Systems’ site in Hillend in Fife. It will also create additional investment in UK SME and high-tech suppliers across the UK.