News

On 17 August, the United States’ Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced that it had obtained a 1.3 MegaJoule (MJ) yield of neutron energy at its National Ignition Facility (NIF). AWE welcomes this very significant achievement, a scientific first. Such high energy ignited plasmas are a very valuable tool in the process of underwriting nuclear […]

As part of its ongoing commitment to support local charities, AWE’s charity partner Thrive has received an AWE Charity Fund donation to help its client gardeners flourish at the weekly sessions. This is the third year that Thrive, one of the leading gardening for health charities, has been AWE’s charity partner. Throughout this time, AWE […]

The summer edition of AWE’s community newsletter is out now. This latest issue throws the spotlight on our Local Liaison Committee and how it serves as an important link between AWE and the local community. There’s also a round-up of AWE news plus our work with education and charity partners. Click here for the latest […]

 A legacy of innovation Since its beginnings, AWE has been synonymous with innovation in defence. We have pioneered advanced capabilities, facilities, and cutting-edge research for UK’s nuclear deterrence programme. Recently, we commissioned a new supercomputer called Damson, capable of performing 4.3 million billion calculations per second. Orion, one of the largest lasers in the world, […]

AWE Blacknest is home to AWE’s Forensic Seismology team. Here, techniques are developed to distinguish seismic signals generated by underground nuclear explosions from those generated by earthquakes. This work is pivotal to the UK’s verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans any nuclear weapons test explosion or any other nuclear explosion. This year, […]

AWE is proud to announce that scientist John Bradshaw has been made an Honorary Fellow of the Society for Radiological Protection (SRP). The SRP is the principal independent professional body for radiation protection in the UK and a learned focus for both understanding radiation hazards and solutions, and providing information to government, industry and the public […]

This year’s Primary Science Challenge has seen local students create some amazing micro-habitats to reflect the 2021 theme of ‘biodiversity’. Regional winners have now been announced with both displaying great imagination and creativity. As part of AWE’s school outreach work and in partnership with Education Business Partnership (EBP) West Berkshire and EBP South, biodiversity workshops […]

AWE’s Dave Castle IEng RCADMan FIED MBCS CITP is the new Chair of the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) the professional membership body for designers working in the fields of engineering and product design. Dave was elected vice-Chair in 2018, Chair-Elect in early 2021 and officially took up his new role following the IED’s AGM […]

The last year may have put much site-based working on hold but it has not put an end to scientific collaboration, which has continued to flourish despite the restrictions caused by Covid-19. One such example is a recent project bringing together AWE and NPL, the UK’s National Metrology Institute, to support resilient timing in the […]

Lego enthusiasts at the Vyne School in Basingstoke have used a donation from AWE to help them compete in a world-wide robot competition. The school’s Lego club is taking part in the First Lego League Challenge which sees young people design, build and program an autonomous robot to solve a series of missions. The Vyne […]

Today (1 July 2021), AWE plc, the company operating the Atomic Weapons Establishments (AWE), becomes a Non-Departmental Public Body, wholly owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). This change in operating model, announced last year in November, will further strengthen the relationship between the MOD and AWE plc, enhancing the management of the UK’s nuclear […]

On 23rd June, AWE celebrated International Women in Engineering Day – an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and celebrates the amazing things women engineers do. The day also serves to inspire others to embark on a career in engineering. Celebrating its 8th year, International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) began in […]