• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Tuesday September 29 2026

Rolls Royce confirms £90 million Filton upgrade

Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has confirmed a £90 million-plus upgrade at its Filton site in Bristol as part of a wider £300 million investment across five UK manufacturing and engineering sites.

The five-year programme at Filton will deliver new collaborative workspaces, improved IT and digital security infrastructure, and expanded maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capability to support defence propulsion work.

Completion is targeted for 2031, with the investment backing more than 3,500 employees at the plant, which serves as Rolls-Royce’s UK military power and propulsion hub.

Tufan Erginbilgic, Rolls-Royce chief executive, said: “Rolls-Royce is committed to growing the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector and we are proud to be building infrastructure needed to power Britain’s future.”

“World-class facilities across the UK will ensure that Rolls-Royce remains a global leader in both commercial aviation and sovereign defence, while supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs both directly and through our supply chain.”

Chancellor John Healey described the package as a “powerful vote of confidence” in the UK economy, saying: “From Derby and Bristol to Rotherham, Glasgow and Warwickshire, it will back skilled jobs, strengthen our sovereign industrial capability, and help drive growth in communities across the United Kingdom.”

Bristol’s site, home to Rolls-Royce since its acquisition of Bristol Siddeley Engines 60 years ago, underpins key defence programmes including the EJ200 engine for Eurofighter Typhoon, the MT30 marine gas turbine and the next-generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

The company says the modernisation will equip engineering teams with upgraded tools and environments needed to support those programmes amid rising defence demand.

The wider £300 million programme also includes more than £140 million in Derby, £43 million at Inchinnan near Glasgow, £19 million in Rotherham and £5 million at Ansty in Warwickshire.

Since launching its transformation programme in 2023, Rolls-Royce has invested more than £3 billion across the UK.