Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • New training craft to revolutionise BRNC maritime training

Defence

New training craft to revolutionise BRNC maritime training

Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) has taken delivery of the first of eight new boats which are set to revolutionise training at the world-renowned College.

Above:  Atlas SEA Class. Dorset-based maritime technology company ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK (AEUK) has delivered the First of Class 15m Officer Training Boat (OTB) to the BRNC in Dartmouth, which is the first of eight OTBs to be delivered under a major contract placed with AEUK in 2017 for the supply and support of up to 38 Workboats for the UK MoD over a six year period.
Courtesy Royal Navy

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle

The new ‘Sea Class 15’ work boats will replace the aged picket boats currently used by Officer Cadets for exercises on the River Dart.

Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Mike Garner, the project lead, said: “These boats will be a game-changer in the way we conduct our training. The picket boats are largely riverine craft, operated within the confines of the River Dart. The new boats are much better suited to operating in open waters, allowing them to break away from the confines of the River Dart providing us with new and exciting ways of developing training. The equipment onboard and the new range capabilities that are now available to us, will allow the college to use them much more like small ships oppose to just river boats.”

The 15 metre boats are being introduced under Project Vahana - a broader programme to upgrade more than three dozen of the RN’s workboats (all under 20 metres long).

Staff at BRNC have been getting to grips with an 11-metre version of the boat since the end of last year.

Lt Cdr Garner said:  “Our river team are now qualified to drive the boats and our attention is now turning to the larger task of qualifying the wider training staff at BRNC. They work in a completely different way to the picket boats, so we now need to take our time to understand their capabilities and redesign and reinvent our training programmes, as we wait for the remaining seven boats to arrive. It’s a huge challenge but this will eventually result in, arguably, the biggest change to our training for around 40 years and will give us bigger and better options to build that Naval Officer of the future.”

Under Project Vahana the new boats will support diving and survey operations, ferrying crew of HMS Prince of Wales ashore, or conduct general duties.

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle

Some, such as inshore survey vessel HMS Magpie, have already been delivered under the £48 million contract with defence firm Atlas Elektronik.

They are built to a generic design, with additional features depending on their task. In the case of the replacement pickets that means a cabin with bunks, living and working space.

The new boats will be in-service at BRNC towards the Autumn next year.


 

Advertisement
Babcock LB
Navantia UK welcomes 73 new apprentices

Defence

Navantia UK welcomes 73 new apprentices

17 October 2025

On the fifth anniversary of its apprenticeship programme, Navantia UK has welcomed 73 new apprentices across its four UK sites, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for the next generation of British shipbuilders and engineers.

Tyron Runflat expands its capabilities

Defence Security

Tyron Runflat expands its capabilities

16 October 2025

Manufacturer of the world’s only multipiece rubber Runflat system, Tyron Runflat, has again extended its capabilities, resulting in its latest partnership with a European Special Forces organisation.

MinDRI opens defence storage facility in Cumbria

Defence

MinDRI opens defence storage facility in Cumbria

16 October 2025

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (MinDRI) Luke Pollard MP has officially opened the new Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Longtown Defence Storage Facility (LDSF) in Cumbria, marking a significant milestone in modernising and streamlining the UK’s defence logistics infrastructure.

Germany orders 20 new Eurofighters

Defence

Germany orders 20 new Eurofighters

16 October 2025

Germany is strengthening its defence capabilities, having placed an order for 20 new Eurofighters.

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle
Babcock wins Net Zero Resource Efficiency category at MoD Sanctuary Awards

Defence Events

Babcock wins Net Zero Resource Efficiency category at MoD Sanctuary Awards

15 October 2025

Babcock has won the Net Zero Resource Efficiency category at this year’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) Sanctuary Awards, which celebrate exceptional sustainability and conservation achievements.

US DEVCOM AC completes test of BAE Systems’ Scorpio-XR

Defence

US DEVCOM AC completes test of BAE Systems’ Scorpio-XR

15 October 2025

BAE Systems and the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM AC) have successfully tested the Scorpio-XR artillery projectile from a 155mm howitzer.

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle