Lagan has won a £53.3m (€62.4m) Ministry of Defence contract to refurbish the airfield at RAF Waddington, an award that shows how defence airfield programmes keep specialist runway contractors in steady, long-duration work.

Lagan, headquartered in Belfast, specialises in airfield, military and marine infrastructure and says it has delivered more than 75 airfield projects worldwide, using its own mobile batching plants and pavers.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Ministry of Defence body that looks after the military estate, is delivering the project on behalf of the RAF.

The works run from 25 September 2026 to 19 July 2028 under the MoD's Airfield Operating Surfaces Programmatic Approach framework, covering refurbishment of aircraft bays and taxiways, new drainage and upgraded approach lighting at the base, the UK's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance hub.

Lagan and VolkerFitzpatrick, a civil engineering and building contractor, were appointed to the framework in October 2022, and Lagan completed a £44m (€51.5m) runway refurbishment at RAF Valley in February 2026 and a £70m (€81.9m) scheme at RAF Shawbury in December 2025.

The contract is valued at £53.3m (€62.4m) excluding VAT; the award notice names Lagan Construction Limited as supplier, while the Defence Infrastructure Organisation names Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure as the contractor.

Ramboll UK acts as technical services provider to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

Airfield refurbishment is a specialist niche where track record carries weight, and Lagan arrives at Waddington having completed RAF schemes at Valley, Shawbury and Wittering, so the risk profile of this award sits closer to repeat delivery than first-time entry.

The contract sits within the MoD's Airfield Operating Surfaces Programmatic Approach, which appointed Lagan and VolkerFitzpatrick in October 2022, giving both contractors a multi-year route to runway and airfield work rather than scheme-by-scheme tendering.

The award follows a wider rise in defence estate spending: the UK Government confirmed £26bn (€30.4bn) for naval base infrastructure in July 2026 as part of a £298bn (€348.7bn) Defence Investment Plan.

For the sector, long-running defence frameworks reward contractors that can combine in-house plant with delivery in security-critical environments, and they give specialist airfield firms a pipeline well beyond a single award.

Source: Construction News / Construction Magazine / GOV.UK