General Atomics

Serco awarded contract to support NavyX ship XV Patrick Blackett

Serco has been awarded a contract to provide ship support services for the Royal Navy’s XV PATRICK BLACKETT.

Image courtesy Serco

The contract commences on 1st April 2025 and is for an initial period of two years with options to extend it for up to a further three years and is valued at up to £6.6 million for the five years.
 
Under the contract, Serco will provide technical management services as well as ad-hoc work required by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) such as physical maintenance, bespoke capability enhancements and the development of design feasibility studies.
 
Commenting on the award, Doug Umbers, Managing Director of Serco’s Defence business, said: “We are excited that we have been given this opportunity to support the Royal Navy’s unique trials ship, the XV Patrick Blackett. The contract gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to developing our maintain, repair and overhaul specialist maritime services.  
 
“XV Patrick Blackett optimises the Royal Navy’s focus on agility and innovation and we are proud to have been chosen to provide our engineering and technical expertise to ensure the vessel’s maximum availability and utilisation and to support the Royal Navy’s force generation and capability development.”

NavyX’s 270-tonne unique trials ship, XV (eXperimental Vessel) Patrick Blackett, which bears the name of the former Royal Navy Officer and Nobel Prize Winner Patrick Blackett, is paving the way for advanced experimentation, innovation and future capabilities within the Royal Navy and ensuring that the UK stays at the leading edge of naval warfare.

Related

Edgewing opens engineering hub in Italy with UK site to follow
The GCAP fighter jet
Edgewing opens engineering hub in Italy with UK site to follow
The first of three engineering hubs designed to support the development of the future GCAP fighter has opening, with similar sites in the UK and Japan coming soon.
Aerospace Defence

9 Oct 2026

Marshall Aerospace begins new chapter as Aurelius acquisition completes
Marshall Aerospace C-130s
Marshall Aerospace begins new chapter as Aurelius acquisition completes
The completion of AURELIUS' acquisition of Marshall Aerospace marks a new chapter in the company's illustrious history, which spans more than a century of engineering excellence, innovation and service.
UK and Germany back SaxaVord in new European space launch deal
SaxaVord Spaceport, Shetland
UK and Germany back SaxaVord in new European space launch deal
The UK and Germany have agreed to deepen space launch cooperation, with Scotland's SaxaVord Spaceport securing European access to orbit.
Aerospace Defence Space

9 Oct 2026

Sentinel Photonics brings multiple laser detection sensors into one hub
Sentinel Photonics' LASARD MAX Connect
Sentinel Photonics brings multiple laser detection sensors into one hub
With one single hub that joins up laser detection sensors, operators can now see, share and act on laser threats across a wide area in real time.
AI to help SMEs win defence contracts: Inside Strategical’s solution
Aerospace SME using AI to win defence contracts
AI to help SMEs win defence contracts: Inside Strategical’s solution
Smaller suppliers can struggle to turn technical capability into defence orders. Strategical is using AI to make specialist bidding expertise more accessible and help businesses focus on work they can realistically secure.
Defence Member News

10 Oct 2026

Edgewing opens engineering hub in Italy with UK site to follow
The GCAP fighter jet
Edgewing opens engineering hub in Italy with UK site to follow
The first of three engineering hubs designed to support the development of the future GCAP fighter has opening, with similar sites in the UK and Japan coming soon.
Aerospace Defence

9 Oct 2026

UK and Germany back SaxaVord in new European space launch deal
SaxaVord Spaceport, Shetland
UK and Germany back SaxaVord in new European space launch deal
The UK and Germany have agreed to deepen space launch cooperation, with Scotland's SaxaVord Spaceport securing European access to orbit.
Aerospace Defence Space

9 Oct 2026

Excelerate Technology to build UK CNI robotic security solution
Satellite in Earth orbit
Excelerate Technology to build UK CNI robotic security solution
In a project co-funded by the European Space Agency Business Applications and Space Solutions (ESA BASS) and supported by the UK Space Agency, Excelerate Technology will build and demonstrate how space-enabled assets can provide innovative safety and security solutions, including protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) at a site in the UK.
World Space Week: How British technology will help ESA return to the Moon
ESA Argonaut
World Space Week: How British technology will help ESA return to the Moon
As Europe prepares to return to the Moon, British-developed LEIA LiDAR technology will help ESA's Argonaut lander autonomously identify safe touchdown zones on the lunar surface.
Space

5 Oct 2026

Sentinel Photonics brings multiple laser detection sensors into one hub
Sentinel Photonics' LASARD MAX Connect
Sentinel Photonics brings multiple laser detection sensors into one hub
With one single hub that joins up laser detection sensors, operators can now see, share and act on laser threats across a wide area in real time.
Big cargo drones complete first BVLOS delivery to North Sea wind farm
Skyports and Ørsted North Sea wind farm cargo drone trial
Big cargo drones complete first BVLOS delivery to North Sea wind farm
Skyports and Ørsted conducted a complex North Sea cargo drone trial, illustrating how heavy loads can safely and efficiently be delivered offshore beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
Aerospace Security

9 Oct 2026

UK Government and UKRI invest £54m to prevent future disease outbreaks
Poultry facility
UK Government and UKRI invest £54m to prevent future disease outbreaks
The UK Government and UKRI are investing £54 million in biosecurity research to tackle antimicrobial resistance, improve disease outbreak preparedness, develop next-generation vaccines and strengthen protection against emerging biological threats.
Security

8 Oct 2026