Three contracts worth a combined £2.55 million have gone to the Northern Ireland construction firm Henry Brothers for infrastructure work at His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, awarded by Babcock International Group, according to the News Letter.
The work covers upgrading security fencing around a key support building at Faslane, supplying and installing specialist ballistic security shelters across the base, and refurbishing an existing Pressure Test Building. Work begins immediately.
Nick McKeown, regional director for Scotland at Henry Brothers, said in comments reported by the paper: “Being appointed to deliver these new projects at HMNB Clyde reflects the trust Babcock places in Henry Brothers and our capability in delivering complex, secure and highly specialised infrastructure.
“Our workforce has extensive experience across the defence sector, and we remain committed to ensuring the Royal Navy’s operational facilities are robust, resilient and fit for purpose. These new appointments strengthen our partnership with Babcock and underline our shared focus on delivering high-quality, dependable facilities for the submarine fleet.”
The three projects form part of Babcock’s investment in infrastructure at the base, which supports the Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines that carry the deterrent and the Astute class attack boats. Ballistic shelters are protective structures intended to shield personnel from blast and fragmentation.
The Ministry of Defence has described the work at Clyde as a multi-decade programme, and told Parliament this month that the purchase of the former Finnart Oil Terminal on Loch Long supports the longer-term transformation of the Clyde estate, with mine hunting equipment and autonomous systems relocating there from 2028.
Protecting the people is a positive step but shouldn’t they also be looking at protecting the submarines that are there, to avoid the issues Russia has found itself facing.
That would cost massive amounts of money
We’re not blessed with underground Submarine bases, unfortunately.
Though it could be done, as Faslane being a Loch, has hills either side that could be used.
Ha yeah, I know, Davey, but boy, the cost! Coulport on the other side of the hill has had a fortune spent on it for its specialist facilities.
And the cost of doing things in this country! The budgets already broken! People raise eyebrows on the cost of some runway resurfacing and we go and build a Joe 90 underground sub base!
Well a SkySabre/CAMM battery is quoted at $250m. Cheap in comparison to a single nuclear sub.
Wouldn’t another sub/drone base be useful on the north eastern side as well? Not sure if Rosyth can be expanded or Leith but both are North Sea facing and be quickly deployable.
…from.
Not for me, the costs to open an entire new HMNB would be astronomical.
I’m relieved we still have three, HMG were looking at reducing to two decades ago.
These boats can be taken out by a small squad remotely operating commercially available drones without much fuss. Same goes for much of the RAF fleet. Easy to land a drone full of explosives onto the deck of a ship or carrier. A small number of determined cells of hostile individuals can take out the UK military or, shall we say, a US Airbase overnight.
I imagine anti drone shelters will become a thing at some point, because it’s cheap and practical, where as protecting against a high kinetic large ballistic missile warhead or even a penetrating charge on a cruise missile ( like the UK broach warhead) is profoundly expensive, when you consider a broach warhead is designed to penetrate a 5 reenforced concrete wall. But getting a basic light weight anti drone shelter is not.. even a standard hanger will protect against a lightweight drone.
I would hope Roof Protection Would be given to the EUSTON PROJECT… Can’t have a Nuclear Sub being hit by a Drone…!
At only £2.55m, Mr Henry is not going to clean up on this one.
Britain should be investing in ABM however where a Chinese national applying for a 6 month visa is almost automatically upgraded to 24 months, our visa system routing needs an overhaul because the attack when it comes, will be from China and Chinese individuals are all too easily given unfettered access to the UK.
Now tell me all those untaxed(!) TEMU gifts are scanned on arrival in Dorset…
Marry up components and agents and we are wide open not only to Balistic Missile attack but also drone attack while our high streets are being obliterated by cheap Chinese imports.
Expected completion date : three Parliaments away. “Sir, that is not in the correct format…”