Revealed - new facilities for building new nuclear warheads

Publication date: June 2002

Summary
Atomic Weapons Establishment plc arose out of a decision by the Ministry of Defence to turn over the management of Britain's three nuclear warhead plants to a Government Owned/Contractor operated (GOCO) arrangement in the early 90's. It operates on two sites Aldermaston and Burghfield both in Berkshire. Aldermaston conducts the design and development of all British nuclear warheads and manufactures the majority of components that go into these warheads. Burghfield's primary task is to receive nuclear warhead components and assemble them into an operational warhead, it also disassembles warheads that are being decommissioned or have been returned for servicing.