UK awards maintenance contracts for Stringray and Spearfish
£230 million contract aims to bolster Royal Navy torpedo capabilities.
The UK MoD announced on 27 January that Spearfish heavyweight and Sting Ray lightweight torpedoes in the RN arsenal will receive a ‘£230 million [$315.5 million] maintenance uplift’ from BAE Systems.
The Torpedoes Repair and Maintenance (TRAM) contract will run for six years. TRAM supersedes the Torpedo Capability Contract with BAE Systems which ran for 10 years.
Spearfish arms Astute-,Trafalgar- and Vanguard-class submarines, while Sting Ray is used by RN frigates and shipborne helicopters to perform ASW missions.
‘Our Royal Navy submarines require sophisticated defensive and offensive underwater weapons to deter a wide range of surface and subsurface threats,’ said Jeremy Quin, Minister for Defence Procurement.
He added: ‘This £230 million investment is crucial in safeguarding the availability and effectiveness of these highly capable weapon systems.’
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