AWE – Nuclear Security Technologies

Welcome to AWE

We design and manufacture warheads and provide nuclear services to meet the needs of defence.

Our mission

We design, develop, manufacture, and maintain the UK’s nuclear warheads that our submarines carry. This has been our mission for 75 years.

Learn more

A person in protective gear kneeling inside a large cylindrical structure while welding, with bright sparks illuminating the dark interior. The tunnel-like setting is bathed in blue light, creating a dramatic industrial scene.

Person wearing an orange protective suit with AWE branding, holding a welding torch in an industrial setting. Vertical metal panels and soft blue lighting form the background, emphasizing a secure engineering environment.

Careers

The UK’s nuclear deterrent only works because AWE’s people make it work. We need talented and ambitious people to join us in our work.

More about careers

About us

The UK’s nuclear deterrent only works because AWE’s people make it work

Find out more

Our suppliers

Explore opportunities for businesses across a wide range of sectors in both our ASTRAEA and infrastructure programmes.

Work with us

Nowhere else in the UK handles weapons-grade fissile material. Every calculation, every weld has to be precise. There is no margin for error. No tolerance for delay.

Professor Mark Whiting seated at a desk operates scientific equipment, with two computer monitors displaying microscopy images and analysis software. A large laboratory instrument is positioned behind the desk, and various control devices, including a keyboard and specialized control panel, are placed in front of the person.

Our success is built on those who came before us, says top materials scientist

Professor Mark Whiting, one of our esteemed William Penney Fellows, from the University of Surrey, shares his views on the power of collective achievement in shaping scientific discoveries.

AWE helps inspire more than 1,000 young people at Get Inspired Basingstoke 2026

Robots, VR technology and liquid nitrogen experiments drew busy crowds of curious students to Get Inspired Basingstoke.

Aldermaston Manor - A large Victorian-style red‑brick manor house with tall decorative chimneys, ornate stone window frames, and multiple gabled roofs, set against a bright blue sky and surrounded by trees and shrubs.

Community News

5 Feb 2026

AWE to become guardians of historic Aldermaston Park

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has purchased Aldermaston Park, a 139-acre site on the northern boundary of AWE’s Aldermaston site. The site will be occupied by AWE.