Babcock inks £560M retrofit deal for UK’s Vanguard-class submarine

Babcock and the UK’s Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) have signed a contract to undertake the planned deep maintenance and life extension program for HMS Victorious, one of the UK’s Vanguard-class nuclear submarines.

The multi-year life extension programme will deliver HMS Victorious back to the Royal Navy modernized and improved, enabling it to continue operational patrols well into the 2030s.

Work on the submarine is already underway, following a commitment by the UK Department to authorize early-works from July 2023.

The value of the contract is £560 million.

Through the HMS Victorious program, more than 1,000 jobs will be sustained in the south west.  Alongside this, Babcock is continuing to build its workforce through its Plymouth-based Babcock Skills Academy, which includes a focus on submarine support and the nuclear skills required to perform deep submarine maintenance.

“Delivering the programme for this vital and complex defence asset is our top priority. We are proud to have been awarded this complex defence programme which will use our deep engineering expertise to help keep the UK safe,” Babcock CEO David Lockwood said.

HMS Victorious is the second Vanguard Class submarine to undergo a life extension package at Babcock’s Devonport facility

“The Royal Navy performs no more important mission than Operation Relentless, the continuous at sea strategic deterrent patrols which have been performed by our submariners uninterrupted since 1969. The mission requires an unprecedented national effort in support, maintaining our Vanguard-class submarines to the very highest engineering standards. The overhaul of HMS Victorious will allow the boat to carry out deterrent patrols until the next generation of submarines, the Dreadnought-class, enter service,” Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Martin Connell said.