Our contribution to the UK and its regions

We have a significant role in helping to keep our country safe and it’s something we’re extremely proud of. But our impact in the UK goes far beyond defence – we play a key role in society by helping to grow the UK’s national and regional economy and boost prosperity, skills and technological know-how.
To help demonstrate this impact, we once again commissioned Oxford Economics to write an independent report examining how our employment, exports and investment in our supply chain in 2022 contributed to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The report also describes our work supporting communities, the armed forces and programs to reach net zero and help boost diversity, equity and inclusion.

Across our UK operations in 2022, we:

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    Contributed £11.1bn to the UK’s GDP
    Equivalent to 0.4% of the UK economy. For every £100 we contributed to GDP, a total of £360 was supported across the economy.
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    Spent £4.1bn with 6,000 UK suppliers
    Bringing investment and employment from the Scottish Highlands to the Isle of Wight.
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    Exported £3.7bn of goods and services
    Equivalent to almost 0.5% of all UK exports.
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    Supported a total tax contribution of £2.7bn
    Including £770m we paid directly.
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    Invested more than £1.4bn in research and development
    Both self-funded and on behalf of customers and partners.
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    Were highly productive
    With each employee contributing £78,570 to the UK economy.
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    Spent £180m on education, skills and training
    Including STEM engagement, early careers and lifelong learning.
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    Supported the UK’s most deprived areas
    Providing direct employment for almost 15,000 full-time workers and spending £730m with suppliers in these communities.
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Our regions in the UK

The regions described below cover almost all of our operations in the UK; however more than 1,000 employees are based at sites in the Midlands and we support our customers across the country.

North West

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Full Time Employees
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Total Jobs Sustained

£450m

Spent with more than 750 local suppliers

Our site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cambria, leads the design and manufacture of the Royal Navy’s Astute and Dreadnought submarines and will commence construction of SSN-AUKUS later this decade. Our military aircraft sites in Samlesbury and Warton, Lancashire, provide engineering, design, manufacturing and R&D for crucial programmes including Typhoon, F-35 and the Global Combat Air Programme.

Employees at Barrow design and manufacture the Astute and Dreadnought submarines for the Royal Navy.

Delivering the UK's next generation future combat air systems.

HMS Anson was commissioned into the Royal Navy in August 2022 at Barrow-in-Furness.

Promoting opportunities for social mobility.

New processes to increase efficiency are being developed at the Factory of the Future.

The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) is a truly international endeavor.

Wales

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Full Time Employees
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Total Jobs Sustained

£50m

Spent with more than 150 local suppliers

Our munitions factory in Glascoed, Monmouthshire, has supported the British Army for more than 80 years and supplies 80% of the armed forces’ general munitions for training and operations. Our team at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey directly supports RAF training, including support for the iconic Hawk aircraft.

Our munitions factory in Glascoed supplies 80% of the armed forces' general munitions.

MicronTech was awarded a £590 million contract to continue Hawk support and maintenance.

Ensuring employees are safe at work is a priority for BAE Systems.