Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, has welcomed the Ministry of Defence's announcement of a new £1.85 billion, 15-year contract with Thales to maximise days at sea for the Royal Navy.

Thales has a large facility in Sarah Dyke's constituency, where it employs more than 750 highly skilled workers.

Templecombe is Thales's primary site in the South West and one of the company's main strategic sites in the UK. 

The new contract is in response to the increasing need for Royal Navy platforms to be on active duty for longer periods because of global instability.

Known as Maritime Sensor Enhancement Team (MSET), the contract will sharpen the focus on equipment availability, predicting problems - through AI innovations and data management - rather than reacting when they emerge.

It will protect 300 jobs and create 150 new roles, many of them at Templecombe. It will also support the training of hundreds of apprentices in much-needed engineering skills. 

Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, said: "This contract is great news for Somerset. It'll not only safeguard jobs at Thales Templecombe, but also create new ones, as well as providing more opportunities for young people who want to make their career in the defence industry. 

"I visited Thales last month to look at their mine warfare, acoustics, towed array sonar and submarine sonar production facilities. This contract cements the firm's century-long partnership with the Royal Navy and will help to defend the UK and keep the world's critical sea lanes open."