HII awards Babcock Virginia-Class submarine component contract

Newport News, Virginia-based HII and UK-based Babcock International Group have signed a contract of undisclosed value to build complex submarine assemblies at Babcock’s Rosyth facility in Scotland for Virginia-class Block VI fast-attack submarines.

This agreement will expand their existing strategic partnership to further support Virginia-class submarine throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Additionally, the contract will build resiliency within HII’s submarine supply base.

This is the first Virginia-class contract awarded to Babcock in support of NNS-specific submarine work. The expansion of the partnership with Babcock will increase the number of suppliers that can perform large structure work with requisite quality, says HII in a media release.

“This is a significant next step in delivering on our joint commitment to enhance both organizations’ capabilities, for the benefit of US and UK programs,” 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 components for the US submarine fleet. This expansion of our strategic partnership with HII enables us to optimize our joint capabilities for the benefit of the wider AUKUS security partnership.”

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 both countries and Australia, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) program to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the US submarine industrial base. The program is working towards expanding to include products entering the UK submarine industrial base for the Royal Navy’s Astute-class.

At the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) show earlier this year, Babcock and HII signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring together HII’s REMUS Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and Babcock’s world-leading submarine Weapon Handling and Launch Systems (WHLS). The collaboration aims to deliver UUV Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery (TTLR), strengthening the undersea advantage of the RN and allied navies.