Babcock and HII expand collaboration on Virginia-class submarine construction

Above: David Lockwood and Chris Kastner at HII’s offices in Washington.
Courtesy HII

The contract will also serve to build greater resiliency within HII’s submarine supply base. 

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 organisations’ capabilities, for the benefit of US and UK programmes,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO. “Leveraging Babcock’s reach and expertise in the UK will reinforce our supplier base, strengthen submarine production in the US 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 optimise 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 UK and US.

Since then, the companies have successfully worked across the US, UK and Australia, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) programme to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the US submarine industrial base. The programme is working toward expanding to include products entering the UK 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 submarine Weapon Handling and Launch Systems (WHLS). This initiative aims to deliver UUV Torpedo Tube Launch and recovery (TTLR), strengthening the undersea advantage of the UK Royal Navy and allied navies.