Shipbuilding
Second Royal Navy Dreadnought submarine to be named HMS Valiant
The second Royal Navy Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarine will be named HMS Valiant, the UK defense secretary has announced. In addition to naming the submarine, defense secretary Gavin Williamson announced a £400 million funding boost for the Dreadnought program. The planned funding relea
UK announces contenders for Fleet Solid Support ship construction
The UK defense minister has announced the five contenders shortlisted to compete for the contract to build Fleet Solid Support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. As outlined by Stuart Andrew, a British consortium of Babcock, BAE Systems, Cammell Laird and Rolls-Royce will be pitted against Italy’s
Rolls-Royce to deliver MTU Series 4000 gensets for Type 45 propulsion overhaul
Rolls-Royce has been contracted to supply 18 of its MTU Series 4000 diesel generator sets which will be used to improve the reliability of Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer. The contract was awarded by BAE Systems who is the main contractor on the Power Improvement Project (PIP) which is being undertak
BAE Systems investing into AR/AI for future combat systems
UK defense company BAE Systems announced it is investing £20 million into the development of augmented reality and artificial intelligence which will improve the capability of future combat systems. As explained by the company, the innovations will help naval personnel improve their decision making
Type 26 frigates to feature SCANTER radars
The Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates will be fitted with Terma’s SCANTER radars and Raytheon Anschütz naval radar software whose joint solution recently obtained the International Maritime Organization certificate. The Terma-Raytheon solution will help save space, cost, and training efforts because
Babcock lands Royal Navy aircraft carrier training contract extension
Engineering services company Babcock International announced on Wednesday that its Marine Training business signed a 36-month contract extension with the Royal Navy. The company also noted that the maritime training business is expanding to a new facility in Hampshire. The recently awarded Future Tr
BAE Systems launches fourth River-class OPV Tamar
BAE Systems has launched HMS Tamar – the fourth of five Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels – lowering it into the water at its Govan yard. Tamar was then towed three kilometers downstream to the firm’s Scotstoun facility, where fitting out takes place. There she joins the third ship in the
Royal Navy starts F-35B rolling vertical landing trials
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was at the center of an important milestone for the F-35 program as an F-35B performed the first ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) British test pilot Peter Wilson conducted the landing this weekend. Previously the jets have conducted only
Royal Navy to base all Type 26 frigates in Devonport
The eight Type 26 frigates being built for the Royal Navy will be homeported in Devonport, UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson has announced. The 6,900-tonne frigates will be anti-submarine warships and will provide protection for the UK nuclear deterrent and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft car
UK MoD names new Type 26 frigate, ends assault ship cuts rumors
UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson on September 30 announced the name of another Type 26 frigate and revealed that the Royal Navy assault ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion would not be scrapped. Speaking in Birmingham, Williamson said that the fourth of the UK’s eventual eight Type 26 frigates wil
ABB to equip HMNB Portsmouth with green power technology
Technology company ABB has been contracted to supply a shore-to-ship power solution to Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. The naval base in Portsmouth, spread over 150 hectares, with 10 kilometers of waterfront, is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, including friga
HMS Prince of Wales’ operations room comes online two months ahead of schedule
The second of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers, the future HMS Prine of Wales, now has a functional operations room – two months earlier than it was intially expected. The operations room will allow the crew of HMS Prince of Wales to watch for threats, track the movements of the carrier’s F-35B
Babcock, Royal Navy consolidate training systems support contract
The UK defense ministry has awarded Babcock International a five-year maritime training systems through-life availability & support service (MARTASS) contract. As announced by the company, a series of support packages, defined by the maritime combat system (MCS) and maritime training acquisition org
Cammell Laird boasts strong supplier network for Type 31 frigate bid
UK shipbuilder Cammell Laird announced it has built a network of more than 2,000 suppliers that will be involved in the construction of the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigate should the Cammell Laird-BAE Systems duo be selected. The shipyard and engineering services company says it is registering m