The UK announced on Friday that it had awarded Rolls-Royce an 11 billion dollar contract for the design, manufacture and support of nuclear reactors powering its submarine fleet.

The eight-year agreement will reinforce the Royal Navy’s continuous at sea deterrent, under which at minimum one nuclear-armed missile submarine patrols at all time the oceans. It will also boost the AUKUS defense pact between the United States and Australia.

It added that the new contract called Unity streamlines previous contracts, encourages cost-efficient production and will support work on nuclear submarines of the Dreadnought Class.

John Healey, Defence Secretary, said in a press release that "this investment in Britain's defense will deliver a lasting boost to British businesses, jobs and national safety."

Healey said, "This deal will support high-skilled UK job that equips the thousands of submariners who keep us safe." Healey was speaking ahead of a tour of Rolls-Royce’s nuclear reactor manufacturing facility in Derby, England.

According to the government, it is anticipated that the Unity contract will create 1,000 new jobs and protect 4,000 more.

(source: Reuters)