Mar 11, 2015 ASDNews Source : Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

    The Uk's Submarine Industry Will Benefit from GBP285 M of Investment to Continue Design Work for the Royal Navy's Next Generation of Nuclear Deterrent Submarines.

The release of funding for the design work is within the existing Successor programme’s £3.3 billion Assessment Phase. The funding forms part of the MoD’s commitment to spending £163 billion on equipment and equipment support over the next 10 years to keep Britain safe. That includes new strike fighters; more surveillance aircraft; hunter killer submarines; two aircraft carriers; and the most advanced armoured vehicles.

The Successor programme currently employs around 2,200 people in the UK, working for BAE Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce. For BAE Systems alone, the funding will sustain over 1,400 jobs on a programme that has already engaged with more than 240 suppliers.

The work is largely based at the home of the UK’s submarine manufacturing industry in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria but also across the UK including sites in Raynesway in Derby and Bristol.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

''The UK has been committed to a continuous at-sea deterrent for more than 45 years. This is because it is the responsibility of the British Government to protect its citizens and provide this vital line of defence. It is therefore crucial that we continue to invest in the Successor programme to be ready for a final decision on renewal next year.''

''It is thanks to our long-term economic plan that we are able to invest in this latest wave of design funding, which will help to secure the jobs of hundreds of people working across the MOD’s three main industrial partners working on the Successor programme. This underlines how important this work is to the British economy as well as the future security of the UK.''

As a result of today’s announcement, BAE Systems will proceed with an additional £257 million worth of design work, with a further £22 million at Babcock and £6 million at Rolls-Royce.

The Successor submarine is designed to be one of the most stealthy submarines in the world. It will also be the largest, safest and most technically advanced submarine ever built in the UK.

Under current plans, four Vanguard submarines – which currently maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent - will be replaced from 2028.

Tony Johns, the Managing Director at BAE Systems’ Submarines, said:

''Designing a new, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine is one of the most challenging engineering projects in the world today. The Successor programme is the largest and most complex project we have ever faced. This funding will now allow us to mature the design over the next 12 months to enable us to start construction in 2016.''

Chief of Materiel (Fleet) Vice Admiral Simon Lister said:

''Today’s announcement on the third phase of design funding is another step forward in the programme to deliver the Successor submarine.''

''Over the next year, work on the design of the submarine will draw on cutting edge capabilities in innovation, design and engineering available in the UK to ensure we are able to meet the future defence needs of the UK.''

All Royal Navy submarines will be based at Faslane by 2020, including the Astute and Trafalgar class attack submarines.

Jul 7, 2014 ASDNews Source : Babcock International

Babcock has been awarded a contract by the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO) to provide an Automated Control and Management System (ACMS) to drive the secure delivery of data and voice communications between Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) and its armed forces.The new, single, ACMS will replace the current control systems and will interact with 25 sites across Norway.  The system will comprise a number of operator workstations at which messages will be co-ordinated and sent via the high frequency (HF) network, as well as the hardware required to manage, encrypt, broadcast and receive all transmissions securely.

The ACMS will be tailored to meet NDLO requirements, compatible with related systems including full interoperability with NATO equipment (tested in Babcock’s systems integration laboratory prior to installation) while also paving the way for future development needs.  The open and scalable system architecture provides flexibility and adaptability, enabling simple and cost-efficient system upgrade or installation of new components.  Further, the use of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) products where possible will reduce through-life costs.

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11 juin 2014 Royal Navy

April 4, 2014 By Richardd Tomkins  (UPI)

British engineering company Babcock has received a four-year support services contract for naval electronic warfare systems.

Babcock of Britain is to provide in-service support for the Communications Electronic Support Measures system on Royal Navy Trafalgar-class submarines.

The company said the four-year Ministry of Defense contract for the CESM system, known as Eddystone, encompasses post-design services and support for supporting infrastructure ashore.

Work will include engineering support, integrated logistics support, obsolescence management, configuration management, help desk, stores management, and ensuring fully functional capability on the in-service platforms.

CESM is an electronic warfare system that supports intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance sensors systems.

“The Eddystone system remains at the forefront of CESM capability and this contract award demonstrates confidence in Babcock’s ability to support this key capability, delivering a very high system availability with the systems performing well while on mission,” said Babcock Integrated Systems & Support Group Director Charles John. “This together with our Type 23 Hammerhead CESM system underline our increasing capability to deliver and meet the customer’s requirements as a one stop shop.”

The engineering and technology company was the prime contractor for the design and development of the system.

A value for the contract was not disclosed.

LONDON, Dec. 18 (UPI)

British engineering company Babcock says it is beginning a maintenance and upgrade program on the Royal Navy's HMS Bangor mine hunter.

HMS Bangor is a Sandown class vessel and work on it will be conducted at the company's Rosyth dockyard in Scotland.

"The work package for HMS Bangor's support period has been defined to reflect the ship's needs and minimize the level of emergent work, based on knowledge of the ship's material state and our experience of previous Sandown class refits, to optimize efficiency and value for money," said Babcock Warships Managing Director Mike Whalley. "We look forward to delivering Bangor on-time and in-budget."

Babcock said upgrades include enhancements to the ship's galley and laundry, installation of modernized communication systems, and an updated fire detection system.

The ship's existing diesel generators will be replaced environmentally friendlier and supportable machines, it said.

Maintenance work to be undertaken on the vessel will include a large package of paint coating and deck covering renewal, a full structural survey, habitability improvements, slow speed drive alignment checks, renewal of all propulsion unit blade seals, shaft line overhaul, essential underwater work, and complete overhaul of the ship's boat crane.

Upgrade and maintenance work is expected to take six months.

The UK Royal Navy's type 23 frigate HMS Richmond during an exercise. Photo Gaz Weatherston.

21 November 2013 naval-technology.com

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract to Babcock for delivery of an off-the-shelf communications electronic support measures (CESM) system for installation on the Royal Navy's Type 23 Duke-class ships.

Working in collaboration with principal subcontractor Argon, the company will supply a high technology readiness level (TRL) system for rapid replacement of the ships' existing obsolete Lighthouse CESM system.

The system, delivered under the seven-year contract, will provide the vessels with an enhanced electronic surveillance capability.

Babcock Integrated System and Support Group director, Charles John, said the high-technology readiness, low-risk solution will provide MoD the maximum value for money.

''We will also be delivering through-life supportability and upgradeability through the planned project life to 2021 and beyond,'' John said.

''This programme will enable the MoD to drive coherency across the capability and derive significant benefit.''

Also called as Hammerhead, Babcock's Type 23 CESM system is designed to offer a low risk, mature solution tailored to Type 23 requirements and surveillance capability, which supports both tactical indicators and warnings, as well as other tasked requirements.

The system exhibits commonality with Lighthouse CESMs, which provide the opportunity for common spares, training and operator flexibility, enabling the MoD to address current requirements within the specified budget.

In addition, the system's modular design block approach provides potential for enhancement or life extension in future, if funding is available, to help the ministry also address changes in operational requirements.

Manufactured by Yarrow Shipbuilders and Swan Hunter, the Type 23 frigates were originally designed for anti-submarine warfare, but have proven their versatility in warfighting, peace-keeping and maritime security missions worldwide.

Sep 18, 2013 ASDNews Source : Babcock International

Babcock has been contracted by the UK Ministry of Defence to design and develop the first stage of an obsolescence update to the Communications Coherency for Submarines (CCSM) system on Trafalgar class submarines.

CCSM, developed by Babcock, was first installed on T-class submarines in 2005, providing the submarines with increased capacity and capability to handle existing and future levels of message traffic and information, including the ability to use and share information efficiently as part of joint or coalition task force.  The system consolidated previously independent autonomous systems into a single Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) based system architecture, covering communications across the frequency spectrum from VLF to EHF.  It also provided improved processes to enable rapid technology insertion for maximum efficiency and cost benefits, and to overcome inherent space constraints.

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