The contract marks the first Virginia-class outsourced work awarded to Babcock for Newport News Shipbuilding, allowing the company to produce complex submarine assemblies in Rosyth for Virginia-class Block VI fast-attack submarines. HII said the expansion will raise the number of qualified suppliers capable of delivering large structural work to required standards.
Chris Kastner, HII president and chief executive, said the agreement represented a meaningful step forward for both companies. “This is a significant next step in delivering on our joint commitment to enhance both organizations’ capabilities, for the benefit of U.S. and U.K. programs.” He added: “Leveraging Babcock’s reach and expertise in the U.K. will reinforce our supplier base, strengthen submarine production in the U.S., and support the trilateral AUKUS partnership.”
HII and Babcock first launched a strategic agreement in July 2023 to collaborate on naval and civil nuclear decommissioning and construction opportunities in both countries. Since then, they have worked together across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification programme to identify and qualify Australian suppliers for the U.S. submarine industrial base, with plans to expand this work to support products for the U.K.’s Astute-class.
At Defence and Security Equipment International earlier this year, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding linking HII’s REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles with Babcock’s submarine Weapon Handling and Launch Systems. The collaboration aims to deliver unmanned underwater vehicle torpedo tube launch and recovery, supporting the undersea advantage of the Royal Navy and allied fleets.
