SPEARFISH UPGRADE PROGRAMME
MOD · MOD_0047_1112-Q1
Department page: Ministry of Defence
| Data as at | Rating | End date | Whole-life cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2024 | Amber (NISTA's independent assessment) | 31 March 2025 | £1,402m (price basis not stated) |
| March 2025 | Section 24 - National security | Section 24 - National security | Section 43 - Commercial interests |
| March 2026 | Exempt under Section 24 - National security | Exempt under Section 24 - National security | Exempt under Section 24 - National security |
Each year’s cost is shown with its price basis. Costs are not compared between years: the March 2024 and March 2025 reports state no price basis, and from March 2026 costs are in 2024/25 prices.
The department’s commentary
This is the department’s own commentary. It may use different prices from the table above, so its figures may not match.
March 2026
Rating: Exempt under Section 24 - National security
Schedule: Exempt under Section 24 - National security
Cost: Exempt under Section 43 - Commercial interests
March 2025
Rating: Section 24 - National security
Schedule: Section 24 - National security
Cost: Section 43 - Commercial interests
Source: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 (data)
March 2024
Rating: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the Infrastructure and Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 23/24-Q4 remains at Amber. This is primarily due to the following factors. Delivery progress made to date balanced against the technical complexity of the programme and its dependencies on the submarine upkeep programme. On advice from the recent Infrastructure and Projects Authority Gateway Review, the Spearfish Upgrade Programme End-date milestone has been amended to reflect the Delivery Confidence Assessment of the entire programme rather than that of only one of the three projects which the Spearfish Upgrade Programme is dependent upon.
Schedule: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's end-date at 23/24-Q4 increased from 2024-03-31 to 2025-03-31. This is primarily due to the following factors. Following advice from a recent IPA Gateway Review, the Spearfish Upgrade Programme End-date milestone has been amended so that it now reflects the closure of the Spearfish Upgrade Programme through delivery by the constituent three projects, rather than being limited to just the Spearfish Upgrade Programme Weapon project. Adjustment of this milestone is purely administrative to ensure reporting is aligned with the previous and most recent Infrastructure and Projects Authority Gateway Review.
Cost: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's departmental-agree Whole Life Cost at 23/24-Q4 increased from 405m to 1402m. This is primarily due to the following factors. The inclusion of Weapon Thread project and Torpedo In-Service Support costs in this quarter's report as directed by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Gateway Review. These additional projects have their own centrally approved business cases and Approved Budgetary Levels and are managed accordingly. The Torpedo In-Service Support costs reported are indicative owing to the commercial arrangements involved and include disposal costs for Spearfish Mod 0 until 2028. Through Life costs for Spearfish Mod 1 past 2028 are a planning assumption for a commercial programme currently in the `Identify` stage.
Source: IPA Annual Report 2023-24 (data)
Names, figures, dates, ratings and commentary are as the department reported them. Where a rating, cost or date is withheld, the file’s wording is shown. Every major project →