About us
For more than 70 years, AWE has supported the UK Government’s nuclear defence strategy and Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD).
On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, we manufacture, maintain and develop the UK’s nuclear warheads, and apply our unique expertise to provide specialist support on nuclear and radiological threats faced by the UK. We are the technical authority for the UK’s radiological and nuclear portal detection network, supporting the UK Government in its defence against the smuggling of nuclear and radiological materials into the country. As the UK’s centre of expertise for rendering safe an improvised nuclear device (IND), we provide 24/7 operational response on the discovery of a nuclear or radiological device. Our scientists also support the MOD in underpinning the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and identifying potential nuclear explosions conducted by other countries. More information about who we are and what we do can be found on AWE’s external website.