Two contracts, worth collectively over £100 million, have been awarded to Babcock to support the development of the UK’s future nuclear deterrent.
The Ministry of Defence say that the first, worth £66 million, has been awarded to Babcock to provide in-service submarine support expertise into the development of the UK’s Dreadnought Class submarines – the future of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
“Covering the next 4.5 years, the contract will see Babcock provide the Ministry of Defence with technical and management support, engineering best practice and submarine maintenance achievability. Supporting the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, the contract will sustain a total of 150 jobs, primarily in Bristol, but also include specialised roles across other key sites, including Devonport, Clyde, Barrow in Furness, Leicester and Warrington.
In addition, Babcock has also been awarded a £55 million contract by BAE Systems for Weapon Handling and Launch System (WHLS) and Submerged Signal Ejector equipment for boats 2-4 of the Dreadnought Class. The contract will support a further 100 jobs across the UK and will see Babcock work with BAE Systems and the MOD together to ensure the Dreadnought Class is delivered on time.”
This programme will support the design, development, and manufacture of the four new Dreadnought Class ballistic missile submarines – the largest submarines ever to be operated by the Royal Navy.
Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:
“It is undeniable the pivotal role that British industry plays in the defence of our nation and our Allies, and I’m committed to supporting UK companies who are continuing to bolster our security whilst driving prosperity across our economy.”
Babcock CEO David Lockwood said:
“Contributing our extensive expertise on the complex support submarines require is a hugely important aspect to the design of this new platform. By participating early in the programme, we will help to maximise the UK’s future defence capabilities.”
The new Dreadnought Class submarines will be over 150 metres long and will have a crew of 130 personnel. In a first for a Royal Navy submarine, innovative new lighting will allow the crew to simulate night and day and it will be the first Royal Navy submarine to be built with separate female crew quarters.
It will also have modern gym facilities for the crew, including exercise bikes, rowers, weights, benches, a running machine and cross trainer.
Dropping comments like
“Supporting the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy”
into press releases about something as fundamental, and mundane, a this one isnt going to keep Rishi in his job!
Best to keep Defence out of politics if possible.
Can they not retrofit a night and day system and artificial windows etc in current subs? I would have thought that would be a morale booster. Any chance for a Sauna/Steamroom to go with the gym? All small things that help retention etc
DRS Extra pay is one thing Sundodgers get for retention but unfortunately the curse of social media seems too rear its head and its absence when Boats are on patrol now has hit people joining the service young people want continuous access too things like Meta ,X, tiktok or UKDJ hot bunking and a mess DVD night don’t seem too be a hit nowadays
Honestly, getting a window away from all the social media shite would be a plus for me.
Cheers Mark UKDJ is the only page worth partaking on Social media should not be allowed within the realms of national security and defence ” loose fingers sink ” so too speak or tap 😉
Hot bunking is a thing of the past. Subs have increased in size whilst crew size has reduced.
Quite correct on that I put that in as a downside for Sundodging As and Vs have enough Bunks prior too those Boats it was hotbunking for most ratings on a 2 watch system
I agree,remember Join The Navy and see the world,not any more.I served for 4 years aboard HMS Resolution in the late 60s and 8 weeks was a normal patrol.A recent Trident patrol lasted 26 weeks due to a lack of available vessels, I am lost for words.
Cheers Steve, a 26 wk patrol slighty unhealthy Tinned food and lack of Vitamin D isn’t an advert for the silent service hope that ,that extended patrol was a 1 off
When you mean like artificial windows, do you mean fake scenery with a UV light backdrop or VR?
Remember one of the R boats had lattice windows with a fish tank behind..Reason given was “we like to see what’s going on outside”
DRS: I assume that your comment was somewhat tongue in cheek, however about 3 or 4 years ago I was offered a tour of a Viking Cruise line ship and it did have a Sauna and -if I recall correctly a steamroom as well and this was in addition to a huge log fire TV screen. And this was primarily due to the senior crew’s heritage, Norwegian .
Just read your thread, Bill, served NP2010 on the Stenna also had a Sauna but someone put a load of Sheep Fleeces in it and stunk the woodwork out deeming it unusable give JACK a new toy and he’ll F it up
That CGI rendition of Dreadnaught sure looks menacing.
Good Morning Daniele. It sure does, and from memory quite different from earlier renditions. I know a million pounds ain’t what it used to be, but a hundred million pounds is still a lot of money and the explanation about what it is to be spent on, is as always, pretty vague! I remember back more than a decade or so reading about an amount of 400 million pounds to be spent on the Carriers with a similarly fuzzy description on what was to be done for that huge sum and that didn’t include any hardware!
Cheers from muggy Durban
The first iterations of Dreadnaught looked very much like stretched Astute, rather than the much nicer new streamlined sail.
👍
Best looking boats we’ve ever built. Or anyone else, for that matter
I wonder if the renditions/CGI images of Dreadnought are something of a Red Herring,it wouldn’t surprise me if she looks different when she is rolled out.
I don’t think so, BAE have made too much of the design of Dreadnought with X-planes, streamlined sail etc. for it to look different.
The third (after Zumwalt and Visby) of the truly futuristic warship classes
O/T Reading some articles that could suggest that Babcock could pitch the Arrowhead 140 to Australia.
Cool… some new skilled jobs across various sites. Good for people, good for the economy.
I doubt however, that the UK economy will go into turbo drive, with a few hundred jobs in the defence sector, as the PM has suggested.
Defence could have turbo drived a bit. Take the chancellor’s tax cuts. That money could have been used to make military kit in the U.K. for Ukraine. Investment instead of some tax cut that benefits the better off in society the most.
I couldn’t agree more MS.
will the dreadnought design feed into AUKUS project or astute + or complete fresh design?
AUKUS – the Astute design is already mature,once Agincourt is built that’s as far as that design will go.
PT thanx, so the AUKUS sub is fresh design, possibly with using experience of building astute and is intended to replace astute.
I suspect that the AUKUS would be based on the Dreadnought class. The aft section powerplant RR PWR 3 would be the same so that dictates diameter. With the same powerplant the X tail will remain. I cannot be sure but with the way missile development is going it would seem as the new AUKUS class would have 3-4 multi mission payload modules midships. I do wonder if the new SSNs will have something like the German IDAS possibly using the TRIPLE-M mast. If so that would dictate an alteration to the fin design. Otherwise the fin would be a smaller version of the Dreadnought class.
So all in all I see the future AUKUS as a more streamlined compact version of the Dreadnoughts, longer than an Astute and a smoother hull form with no knuckle or hump.
In someways I disagree to all the UKs future SSNs having the Multi Mission Mudules as we do need smaller subs to do some sneeky stuff and to operate in shallowish waters. Size does matter, the smaller the sub the better you can hide. Or to operate in the North Atlantic in a pure hunter killer role. So possibly two versions could be built, one a pure hunter killer the second with a midships insertion with 3-4 Multi Mission Payload Mudules each with 7 tubes for cruise missiles. Again it is only my postulating but I suspect that the RAN would build all their subs with the Multi Mission Modules as they have a big blue Ocean to play in and want to do things at range.
Numbers have been thrown about on how many the RN will get with as many as 15 being quated. I do hope so. I would say 14 would be ideal, 6 with 4 Multi Mission Modules carrying 28 cruise missiles and 8 in the hunter killer role.
By the way does anyone think that the rendering of the Dreadnought in the piture looks like the SeaView?
Hi Ron, good comments can see Oz wanting the longer boats. bigger will mean less nimble as you say. the plus is that there will be greater production of boats and more resources
While the submarine will be a new design it will use evolution of parts from previous designs.
Having subs in constant design and build allows for improvements of parts and sustainment of suppliers.
Couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be starting from scratch. The Taiwanese have just went through this process.
The Dreadnought class is quite evil-looking…