Inside the Glasgow factory that is shaping the next generation of warfare

Govan in Glasgow was once an industrial powerhouse and is famed for its shipbuilding history but long gone are the days when it was a dominating driving force in the industry.

However, as plans press on to regenerate the historic Govan Graving Docks area, a factory nested on the banks of the River Clyde has continued the district’s legacy over the past century having been the sole supplier of periscopes to the Royal Navy since the First World War.

Originally Barr & Stroud Ltd, the Scottish facility has links dating back to 1888.

Now run by global technology group Thales, the Glasgow hub in Govan – which boasts a working First World War periscope – is the oldest part of the firm’s UK operations.

Managing director Stephen McCann told Sky News he spent the first few years of his life in Govan before moving to Linwood in Renfrewshire, where his dad worked in the renowned car factory known for the Hillman Imp.

Due to his upbringing, he strives to provide opportunities for people who live in the area – which was once home to Vikings and was found to be one of the earliest seats of Christianity in Scotland.

The Royal Navy and dreadnought submarines

Over the years the firm’s periscopes have developed to include thermal imaging, laser rangefinding and night vision.

The company’s latest mast combines complex visual sensors, threat-sensing electronic warfare and communications systems in one place.

The firm’s relationship with the navy began in 1917 and continues today on the new class of Dreadnought vessels.

Alongside a £169m contract to provide periscopes for the nuclear deterrent submarines, Thales has also been tasked to build the ultra-powerful Sonar 2076 system for the vessels.

The submarine sonar detection system is one of the world’s most advanced and combines high-quality visuals, electronic warfare and communications.

The Dreadnought submarines will eventually replace the Vanguard-class vessels that currently carry out the navy’s continuous at sea deterrent (CASD) operations.

And back in February 2024, the firm won a £1.8bn contract to maintain the navy’s fleet of ships and submarines over the next 15 years.

Mr McCann said his workers were “incredibly proud” of their role in “defending the nation”.

“It’s a sense of dedication. It’s a sense of engineering excellence. My colleagues who’ve worked in the naval space tend to dedicate their careers to it,” he added.

Future technology for a ‘digital battlefield’

As well as its navy work, the Glasgow factory – near to shipbuilder BAE Systems and where the workers have been based for several decades – has created an armoured vehicle centre of excellence, where work continues on parts for the British Army’s Ajax vehicles and Challenger tanks.

During a tour of the facility, Sky News was given a brief demonstration of the firm’s Panoramic Above Armour Gimbal (PAAG), a targeting and surveillance solution for a “digital battlefield”.

The PAAG easily zoomed in to woodland 10km away and showed off its tracking capabilities by locking onto and following a passing helicopter.

Systems engineer Dara Munro, 26, helped with the design and integration of the PAAG, and will next be involved in the environmental testing of the product.

Ms Munro, whose grandfather was an engineer for the RAF and witnessed Britain’s nuclear bomb testing at Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the late 1950s, said: “It’s all well and good just putting something together, but trying to get it to actually do what you want it to do is quite difficult.

“So, that’s been my job for the last two years and we’ve now got quite a very well mature product now.”

The firm has also developed a Digital Crew product that will “sit metaphorically” next to soldiers in armoured vehicles or on the bridge of a ship.

The real-time self-learning algorithm uses AI to augment what it sees through its sensors, alerting the user to what is “different, dangerous, or of interest”, according to the Thales engineers.

Mr McCann said his team will continue to develop new integrated combat systems amid the need to digitise the battlefield to help manage and identify threats more quickly.

He said: “Our challenge, given what’s going on in the world, is to bring those to market as quickly as possible.

“We’re working on the next generation of camera technology so that we can help our soldiers see even further, so that they can see their enemy before they’re seen, which ultimately is what keeps them safe.

“I understand people’s concerns about defence. No one wants to see war.

“We have to minimise that as much as possible, but, of course, having the capability to protect your people, your nation, when there are clear threats out there is equally important.”

Protests ‘put staff at risk’

Thales is often targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters due to its small-medium enterprise joint venture (SME JV) with Israeli company Elbit Systems.

The firm stressed it “strictly complies” with UK and international export control regulations – as well as with current international sanctions – and “has not delivered any defence equipment, or any equipment enabling the operation of a defence system, to Israeli forces or Israeli manufacturers”.

In July, Police Scotland charged 14 people over a blockade at the Glasgow site.

And in August, five people were jailed for causing more than £1m of damage during an incident in June 2022.

The group scaled the roof, unfurled banners and set off pyrotechnics – including throwing a smoke bomb into an area where staff were being evacuated.

Mr McCann said: “Everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but on at least two occasions people have taken action which have put colleagues at risk.”

A new generation of engineers

Thales offers a wide range of programmes, including in engineering, cyber, project management, procurement, HR and data.

The skills academy at Glasgow has been set up to secure and develop future talent.

Laura Cowan, 31, is an electro-optics engineer and specialises in thermal imaging cameras.

She has a PhD in physics from the University of Glasgow and a masters in electronics from the University of Cambridge, but said many of her highly-skilled colleagues progressed through the apprenticeship scheme.

Ms Cowan, who grew up in the southside of Glasgow, said she enjoys getting hands-on with the kit.

She added: “There’s lots of opportunities here to stay close to the technology.

“So, I’d like to continue working on that and hopefully get to a point where I’m influencing the future strategy and the future technology that we’re actually producing.”