HII and Babcock International Group (Babcock) have signed a contract that expands their strategic partnership to further support the Virginia-class submarine construction to increase throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Additionally, the contract will build resiliency within HII’s submarine supply base.
HII press release
This is the first Virginia-class outsourced contract to Babcock in support of NNS specific submarine work, authorising Babcock to build complex submarine assemblies at their Rosyth facility in Scotland, for Virginia-class Block VI fast-attack submarines.
The expansion of the partnership with Babcock will increase the number of suppliers that can perform large structure work with requisite quality.
“This is a significant next step in delivering on our joint commitment to enhance both organizations’ capabilities, for the benefit of U.S. and U.K. programs,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO. “Leveraging Babcock’s reach and expertise in the U.K. will reinforce our supplier base, strengthen submarine production in the U.S., and support the trilateral AUKUS partnership.”
David Lockwood, CEO Babcock International Group said: “Babcock’s advanced manufacturing expertise has enabled us to build on our established missile tube assembly capability, to deliver additional complex assemblies for the US submarine fleet. This expansion of our strategic partnership with HII enables us to optimize our joint capabilities for the benefit of the wider AUKUS security partnership.”
The Secretary of State for Defence John Healey MP said: “Today’s announcement represents another vote of confidence in the workers and skills of Scotland’s defence industry. This expanded partnership to deliver for AUKUS submarines announced today demonstrates that the UK is becoming a global leader for advanced marine and submarine engineering.
“The UK Government is proud to wholeheartedly support Scottish defence workers on the world stage, delivering prosperity and opportunity in communities right across Scotland.”
In July 2023, HII and Babcock entered into a strategic agreement to collaborate on naval and civil nuclear decommissioning and construction opportunities in the U.K. and U.S.
Since then, the companies have successfully worked across the U.S., U.K, and Australia, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) program to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the U.S. submarine industrial base. The program is working toward expanding to include products entering the U.K. submarine industrial base for the Astute-class.
At DSEI earlier this year, Babcock and HII signed a memorandum of understanding to bring together HII’s REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and Babcock’s world-leading submarine Weapon Handling and Launch Systems (WHLS). The collaboration aims to deliver UUV Torpedo Tube Launch and recovery (TTLR), strengthening the undersea advantage of the UK Royal Navy and allied navies.
