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

GE Aerospace to create 150 jobs with £30m Prestwick expansion
GE9X engine
GE Aerospace to create 150 jobs with £30m Prestwick expansion
As part of a £57 million partnership with the Ayrshire Growth Deal, GE Aerospace is making a £30 million investment in its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Prestwick, Scotland.
Aerospace Member News

13 Oct 2026

Riyadh Air suspends flagship London and Manchester flights following airport attacks
Riyadh Air Boeing 787 at London Heathrow Airport in the sun
Riyadh Air suspends flagship London and Manchester flights following airport attacks
The closure of Riyadh’s main airport has disrupted the Saudi carrier’s UK connections, just weeks after it added Manchester to its growing network.
Aerospace

12 Oct 2026

Quieter drones could still face noise backlash as UK prepares for BVLOS expansion
A drone flies with a package on delivery past residential houses.
Quieter drones could still face noise backlash as UK prepares for BVLOS expansion
The CAA wants early action on flight patterns, community engagement and noise assessment to help emerging aviation services grow without creating avoidable disturbance.
Aerospace

12 Oct 2026

UK to flight test hypersonic target vehicle at Hebrides Range in 2027
Missile launch
UK to flight test hypersonic target vehicle at Hebrides Range in 2027
The demonstration is planned as part of Project Bowline, a programme aimed at improving the country’s ability to assess emerging high-speed threats.
Defence

13 Oct 2026

Royal Navy seeks suppliers for Type 93 uncrewed submarine under AUKUS programme
The Royal Navy's experimental XLUUV, XV Excalibur, conducts a trial at sea. Image: MSubs Ltd via LinkedIn
Royal Navy seeks suppliers for Type 93 uncrewed submarine under AUKUS programme
With the XV Excalibur uncrewed submarine now in service, the Royal Navy is seeking industry partners for its Type 93 XLUUV programme, supporting future AUKUS capabilities.
Defence

13 Oct 2026

ITURRI unveils GRITSTONE for British Army Light Mobility Vehicle programme
ITURRI GRITSTONE for the british army LMV programme
ITURRI unveils GRITSTONE for British Army Light Mobility Vehicle programme
The proposal has been developed specifically to meet the future mobility requirements of the British Armed Forces for an LMV to replace its existing Land Rovers.
Defence

12 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

UK steps up AI cyber defences as minister warns dependence is a national security risk
Engineering team implements digital guardrails on autonomous AI agent to limit risk, Teamworking tech startup colleagues apply artificial intelligence safety constraints, brainstorming, camera A.
UK steps up AI cyber defences as minister warns dependence is a national security risk
The UK plans to expand AI-powered cyber protection and prepare for incidents involving autonomous systems, while calling for stronger UK technology capabilities.
Security

12 Oct 2026

UK opens weapons test ranges to SMEs as hypersonic testing investment advances
Project Safari hypersonics testing opens at QinetiQ MOD Hebridies for UK defence SMEs
UK opens weapons test ranges to SMEs as hypersonic testing investment advances
The MoD is easing SME access to UK weapons test ranges through Project Safari while advancing hypersonic missile testing plans at MOD Hebrides.
Defence Security

12 Oct 2026

Avon Protection secures US military order for MITR System
Avon Protection’s MITR System
Avon Protection secures US military order for MITR System
The United States Department of War (DoW) has placed an order for Avon Protection’s MITR System for its Special Operations Forces, becoming the second Five Eyes (FVEY) nation to adopt the system.