A MULTI-MILLION pound MoD contract to upgrade torpedoes will secure around 100 jobs at a Beith munitions company.

The £270million award to the torpedo supply chain that includes Defence Munitions Beith near Barrmill will sustain the jobs of around 100 MOD staff who process, store and supply the torpedoes to the Royal Navy.

The Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said: “This is welcome news. It is a further statement of the UK Government’s long term commitment to the defence industry in Scotland and to our dedicated and talented workforce.

“This contract will support a significant number of skilled workers, their families as well as providing a substantial boost to the local economy in Ayrshire.

“The UK’s defence industry is worth billions of pounds and generates economic benefits for communities right across Scotland, through jobs, contracts, and supporting services.

"On the back of this contract I have absolutely no doubts that the workforce at MOD Beith will continue to excel in providing skills, expertise and support for the Royal Navy’s activities across the globe.” Spearfish is one of the most powerful and advanced wire guided torpedoes in the world and enables Royal Navy submarines to engage a wide variety of surface and underwater targets.

The Spearfish upgrade includes a new warhead, a change to the fuel system to improve safety, full digitisation of the weapon and a new fibre optic guidance link to improve performance.

They are carried by the Royal Navy’s Astute, Vanguard and Trafalgar Class submarines and can target both underwater and surface threats.

Formerly know as Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Beith then part of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA), the base was the scene of regular protests during the Iraq War as weaponry was stored there before being shipped to the Gulf.