Utilising Babcock’s expert capability, the team – led from Plymouth – will be responsible for 12 TTWCS across the remaining Trafalgar class and Astute class submarines, including land based facilities).
Babcock’s proven expertise, including project & configuration management, special to type test equipment maintenance and detailed strip and survey activities will support a range of critical tasks over the duration of the contract.
“Weapons systems are our speciality and this contract will enable both Babcock and Lockheed Martin to drive critical programme elements through a collaborative framework for our customer. I look forward to the successful output that we will deliver.”
Richard Drake, Managing Director of Babcock Defence Systems Technology,
In 1995 the US agreed to sell 65 Tomahawks to the UK for torpedo-launch from their nuclear attack submarines. In April 2004, the UK and US governments reached an agreement for the British to buy 64 of the new generation of Tomahawk missile—the Block IV or TacTom missile. In July 2014 the US approved the sale to the UK of a further 65 submarine-launched Block IV. They are now deployed from Royal Navy’s Astute class SSNs.
The Tomahawk IV – known in the Royal Navy as TLAM (Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile) – allows submarines to strike at ground targets hundreds of miles inland with pinpoint accuracy.
The missile has been in use with the Royal Navy Submarine Service since the late 1990s.
Tomahawk IV is the latest version of the missile. It has a longer range than its predecessors (well in excess of 1,000 miles), can be directed at a new target in mid-flight, and can also beam back images of the battlefield to its mother submarine.
