Defence
Building the UK’s sovereign naval capability for a new era of defence
Navantia UK is a prime contractor delivering sovereign naval capability for the Royal Navy and its allies, combining UK shipbuilding capacity at Appledore, Belfast, Methil and Arnish with globally proven designs and a track record of delivery.
We invest ahead of demand, transforming our four yards and building the industrial capability that the next generation of naval programmes will need. Our work spans the Fleet Solid Support ships now in build and the autonomous platforms that will shape the future Hybrid Navy.
The Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy call for a stronger, more resilient defence industrial base, and NATO allies are rebuilding readiness at a pace not seen in decades. Navantia UK was created to meet that moment, bringing skilled jobs to three nations of the UK and adding the shipbuilding capacity the Royal Navy and its allies will depend on.
Proven Naval Capability
Navantia UK combines sovereign UK shipbuilding capability with the expertise of one of Europe’s leading naval ship designers and builders.
Navantia platforms are in service with allied navies around the world, spanning amphibious ships, frigates, fleet support vessels, autonomous systems and mission-configured patrol craft. Built for interoperability, they serve alongside NATO and partner fleets today.
Our UK-based design team has deep experience of designing ships for the Royal Navy, strengthened by structured knowledge transfer from Navantia’s global network. UK engineers, project teams and apprentices work alongside colleagues in Spain, building sovereign design authority at home while drawing on international expertise.
Beyond platform design, Navantia brings decades of experience delivering and supporting complex naval programmes, including maintenance support for the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Delivering now on Fleet Solid Support
The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme puts this approach to work.
As prime contractor, Navantia UK is delivering three next-generation support vessels for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary while transforming UK shipbuilding capability for the long term. First steel was cut at Appledore in December 2025 and the ships are now in production, with blocks built in Appledore and Cádiz and final integration at Harland & Wolff in Belfast. More than £157 million has been invested across our UK facilities, introducing modern infrastructure and digitally enabled production.
When complete, the vessels will be the largest ships in UK Defence after the aircraft carriers, at 216 metres and 39,000 tonnes, keeping the Carrier Strike Group supplied and at sea for longer.
The programme is rebuilding skills as well as ships. Navantia UK employs more than 1,200 people across its four yards, with hundreds of apprentices in training and a target of 500 by 2030.
Designed for the Hybrid Navy
The future fleet will combine crewed, optimally crewed and autonomous platforms operating as a single integrated force. Navantia UK is investing in the platforms, systems and industrial capability required to deliver it.
Our SMARTships architecture provides the digital backbone for integrated operations, enabling crewed and autonomous systems to share information, operate collaboratively and upgrade continuously through life.
Our Large Autonomous Surface Vessel, the LASV75, shows this in practice. Designed in the UK and uncrewed from the keel up, it can be configured for different missions and built at pace. Together, these capabilities offer a practical route to the Hybrid Navy that is available today.
Advanced Shipbuilding
Across our UK operations, we are deploying Navantia’s Shipyard 5.0 model, the same advanced production approach used throughout Navantia’s global shipbuilding network.
Combining robotics, automation, AI-driven production planning and real-time quality monitoring, Shipyard 5.0 raises productivity and gives customers greater programme certainty.
By integrating design, engineering and manufacturing through a connected digital environment, we can deliver complex naval platforms faster and at lower risk.
Reducing the cost of ownership
A ship’s most expensive years are the ones after it leaves the yard.
Navantia’s Digital Twin capability connects design, production and in-service support through a single, continuously updated data model. During construction, it enables faster design cycles, earlier identification of integration challenges and reduced rework.
Once in service, it improves availability through predictive maintenance, real-time performance monitoring and more informed decision-making. For defence customers, that means lower through-life costs and more days at sea.
As the Royal Navy moves to data-driven fleet management, this capability will only grow in importance.
Contact us
Navantia UK combines global expertise with a flexible, delivery-focused approach, investing early, working collaboratively and sharing risk to deliver better outcomes. Talk to us about your programme.
