Defense industry

The state of UK Defence – BAE Systems and MBDA

UK defence is oft cited as the ‘shining light’ in British manufacturing, and if that’s true then BAE Systems and MBDA are flames on either end of the same candle emitting an extraordinary glow.

BAE Systems is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company with a particular focus on land, air and seacraft. MBDA is a European developer and manufacturer of missiles, and the result of a guided-missile division merger between Airbus, Leonardo, and BAE Systems in 2001. Both manufacturers are also engaged in supply for the commercial and military electronics market.

In October 2019, The Manufacturer was shown around BAE Systems’ Portsmouth site, and MBDA’s Bolton facility.

After passing through a strict and highly choreographed verification process, our BAE Systems tour guide was Jon Penny, head of manufacturing, supply chain and operational services, who kicked things off with a ‘deep dive’ into the layered threat deterrents BAE Systems provides within the underwater domain.

Displayed on the factory floor, in a variety of sizes, each of them sleek and black, was a series of torpedoes each bearing a different and devastating payload – from the smaller Kingfisher model, cut lengthways to showcase the fuse, expulsion charge and submunition; to the heavyweight Spearfish torpedo deployed on Royal Navy submarines.