• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Wednesday July 22 2026

Rolls Royce to open new Bristol research hub

Rolls-Royce is pumping £100 million into a new research and manufacturing hub at its historic Filton site near Bristol, a move it says will turbocharge the UK’s defence aerospace capabilities and cement the South West as a global centre for next-generation combat air technology.

The aerospace giant has handed a construction contract worth more than £100 million to Belfast-based firm McLaughlin & Harvey to build the high-tech facility on its existing Gipsy Patch Lane campus.

Due to break ground later this year, the hub will be used to design, assemble and test engines specifically for future air combat programmes, including the UK-led Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) that aims to deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet by the mid-2030s.

“We are very pleased to be announcing the contract award to McLaughlin & Harvey,” said Paul Pennington, Rolls-Royce’s senior vice president of infrastructure and defence. The company says the new facility will “accelerate the pace and drive efficiencies” across research, testing and manufacturing while enabling rapid development of new technologies for future combat aircraft.

The Filton site already employs more than 3,000 people and produces critical components for the EJ200 engine that powers the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon (pictured), as well as the lift system for the F-35B’s STOVL capability.

The new hub will “future-proof” the Bristol operation by providing the dedicated space and infrastructure needed to support next-generation engine programmes and advanced manufacturing techniques.

Rolls-Royce added that the development is underpinned by ongoing work to improve safety, security and resilience across the site.

The project builds on recent upgrades including a new Additive Manufacturing Development Cell, officially opened in April by Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP, which uses advanced 3D printing to produce complex engine parts faster and more efficiently for GCAP and other defence programmes.

The investment has been welcomed by local MPs and industry leaders, who say it safeguards high-skilled jobs and reinforces the region’s pivotal role in the UK’s defence industrial strategy.

Construction is expected to create hundreds of temporary roles, with additional long-term positions in engineering, research and advanced manufacturing once the facility is operational.

Image by Chris Lofting, Airliners.net, published under Creative Commons licence