UK govt. sings £350m contract to upgrade nuclear submarineMarch 26, 2012 - 11:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The UK government has signed a £350 million contract to upgrade one of its nuclear submarines in a move that the Ministry of Defense on Monday, March 26 said would secure 2,000 jobs. According to AFP, under the contract, worth 420 million euros ($555 million), workers at Babcock's Devonport Dockyard in southwest England will install the Royal Navy's HMS Vanguard with a new reactor core and carry out a refit and refuel. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond was set to confirm the deal during a visit to Devonport on Monday. He was expected to say the contract would secure more than a thousand jobs at the site, 300 more at other companies in the city and 700 jobs in the industrial supply chain across Britain. "As well as securing 2,000 UK jobs, this contract will ensure the nuclear deterrent submarine fleet can continue to operate safely and effectively to maintain a continuous at sea deterrent," Hammond will say, according to extracts of his speech released by his office. HMS Vengeance is one of the UK's four Vanguard-class submarines designed to carry Trident nuclear missiles. The upgrade is scheduled to take three and a half years. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Pashinyan’s spokesperson denies intention to visit Baku for COP29 Pashinyan’s agenda doesn’t include a trip to Baku for the COP29 conference, his press secretary Nazeli Baghdasaryan has said. Lithuania sending €100,000 to help Armenia fight floods consequences Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. Armenia: Rescue workers restore pedestrian bridge for flood-hit community Rescue workers on Wednesday, June 5 restored a pedestrian bridge in the town of Alaverdi in Armenia’s north. Turkey condemns Uruguay’s recognition of Armenian Genocide Turkey has condemned a newly passed law in Uruguay that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, TRT reports. |