Babcock to provide another 18 missile tube assemblies for UK, US submarines

Babcock, an aerospace and defence company, has been awarded a multimillion-pound contract extension to manufacture a further eighteen tactical missile tube assemblies (MTAs) for General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB).

As explained, the contract extension is part of the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) project for the UK Dreadnought class and US Columbia class submarine programmes.

“This is a prime example of the capability of our defence industry to deliver specialised and complex manufacturing in support of an internationally significant programme. The contract extension will support 200 highly-skilled jobs in Bristol and Rosyth, building next-generation technology for our vital nuclear deterrent,” Jeremy Quin, UK’s Defence Minister, said.

Since 2014, Babcock has secured contracts with GDEB to manufacture 57 MTAs. The latest of these contracts included an option to supply an additional 18 MTAs, resulting in the recent contract extension.

This brings the total number of tactical MTAs that will be manufactured by Babcock for Electric Boat to 75 and will see Babcock’s work transition from the UK Dreadnought to the US Columbia programme.

Babcock’s programme of work has been supported by a multimillion-pound facilities investment at Rosyth and Bristol.

Being built by BAE Systems, the four next-generation Dreadnought submarines will be the Royal Navy’s most advanced submarines ever when they enter service from the early 2030s and will be vital in providing the UK’s nuclear deterrent, as they replace the Vanguard-class of ballistic missile submarines.

The US Navy’s 12-ship Columbia-class will replace the existing Ohio-class nuclear ballistic submarine force. Construction of the Columbia class will take place in Virginia, Rhode Island and Connecticut, with Electric Boat assembling and delivering all of the submarines. The lead boat is scheduled to be delivered to the navy in 2027.