BAE Systems £89m contract win will create new jobs in Dorset

The company provides advanced technology to the UK from its sites in the South West, including specialist communications and software systems to submarine design and cyber capabilities.

BAE Systems has been awarded an £89m contract to enhance front-line connectivity for military personnel, linking small reconnaissance drones, combat vehicles, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and military commands.

The company, which provides advanced technology to the UK from its sites in the South West, including specialist communications and software systems to submarine design and cyber capabilities, won the contract from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The new five-year contract will see BAE Systems lead a consortium of trusted partners, including Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), PA Consulting and L3 Harris, to design and manufacture a deployable tactical Wide Area Network (WAN) known as ‘Trinity’. This will deliver a "highly-secure and state-of-the-art" battlefield internet capability to UK forces which is hoped will sustain battlefield awareness and intelligence sharing through a myriad of adversarial attacks.

The MOD contract will directly create 60 jobs in Dorset, primarily at BAE System's Christchurch base. These new jobs will be through the combination of the multi-partner team. The contract will also see further investment in UK skills at BAE Systems, its partners and across the supporting supply chain.

David Armstrong, group managing director at BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business, said: “In an increasingly complex and fast-paced threat landscape, Trinity will empower the UK Armed Forces with a better view of what is happening, enabling them to make swift, informed decisions when and where it matters most.

“By providing this advantage to front-line decision makers, Trinity reinforces our commitment to equipping the British military with the right tools to stay ahead in an ever-evolving battlespace."

Trinity’s resilience will be based on its composition. It is made up of a series of nodes, each able to add, access and move data in a secure network. If a number of nodes are damaged in warfare, the rest will automatically re-route to maintain optimum network speed and flow of information, making it highly effective.

Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, added: "In this continually evolving, multi-domain environment it is vital that our personnel have access to world-leading communications capabilities while on operations.

"We remain committed to working closely with the best of British industry as they support our endeavour to better connect with our allies and their assets in theatre."