3 Sep 2024

Babcock ready to respond to Orka submarine programme

Babcock has announced it is gearing up to play its part in the future Orka submarine programme as it gains momentum.

Babcock has been working with submarine builders around the world for decades, providing solutions into Navies including the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Spanish Navy and Republic of Korea Navy. Our expertise and reputation as world leaders in design, manufacture and integration of submarines Weapons Handling and Launch Systems goes back more than 50 years.

We have been providing through life maintenance support to the entirety of the Royal Navy’s nuclear fleet since the inception of the UK’s Nuclear submarine programme, over 60 years ago, maintaining their safety, availability and capability. This includes undertaking design changes through-life, across the whole of the submarine in order to deliver a significant operational capability in the defence of the UK. We are also specialists in weapon handling and launch systems for both ships and submarines.

Our unique position as the single support provider for the UK nuclear submarine fleet and the Canadian conventional diesel electric submarine fleet means that whether we are supporting a new submarine type or extending the life, upgrading and supporting older submarines, Babcock has the expertise, experience, people and capability to provide Poland with comprehensive, effective support in the Orka programme.

We are privileged to be working in Poland today in partnership with PGZ-Miecznik consortium to deliver the Miecznik frigates’ programme, based on the Babcock Arrowhead 140 design. Through our existing presence and relationships in Poland, we understand the importance of the Orka programme in terms of Poland’s national defence, security, industrial, commercial, and social value priorities.

Capabilities

• We provide world-class submarine Weapon Handling and Launch Systems to Naval customers around the around the world.
• We are OEM/platform agnostic: Our ability to act as a systems integrator and a mission partner in payload launch and handling means we can collaborate, engage and operate in any domain on any platform.
• We deliver through-life support for submarines and their associated systems and equipment, covering both nuclear and diesel electric submarines together with supporting infrastructure. We provide this support throughout the entire product lifecycle, including design, manufacture, in-service maintenance, life-extension and decommissioning of critical naval assets. 

Technology

• From support to systems integration; from design to the entire digital thread. Our highly skilled expertise means we can access, utilise and integrate the best technology solutions to help deliver the Orka programme.
• Weapon Handling and Launch Systems: Our Air Turbine Pump-driven positive launch systems with programmable firing valve, represents the state of the art in WHLS, enabling compatibility with a wide variety of Torpedoes, Mines and Missiles produced by leading manufacturers. It has significant advantages in terms of launch flexibility, integration, mass, signature, volume and economy of operating air.
• Payload integrator: We are the UK’s most experienced submarine payload integrator, having integrated a diverse range of payloads on-board UK and overseas submarines.

Strategic partnerships

From Aukus to Orka we understand the changing defence and geo-political landscape and work with our customers wherever they are in the world, whatever the challenge.

We are a trusted mission partner that can deliver on technology design, engineering build, systems integration and platform management with a proven ability to integrate cutting-edge capabilities into modern submarine platforms, building on the work we are already doing to deliver the Miecznik frigates to the Polish Navy.