BAE Systems

BAE Systems builds warships for the Royal Navy at two shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow, at Govan and Scotstoun. The Glasgow yards form part of the group's naval ships business and operate through BAE Systems Surface Ships Limited. BAE Systems itself is a UK defence and aerospace group, and this profile covers its Scottish shipbuilding operation rather than the wider group.

The yards are building all eight City-class Type 26 frigates. HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff, and HMS Belfast were ordered first, and a £4.2 billion contract awarded in November 2022 added five more ships. The UK Government said that contract would support 1,700 jobs at the Glasgow sites over the following decade.

Ship units are assembled at Govan before moving to the dry dock at Scotstoun for testing and acceptance. In 2023 the company began building a covered assembly hall at Govan measuring 170 metres by 80 metres, large enough for two frigates side by side. Scotstoun sits on the former Yarrow shipyard, begun in 1906, and the company describes it as a base for engineering and skills development as well as ship construction.