Babcock International’s Team 31 is pleased to announce the second round of supply chain contract awards across the UK and Europe to support the Royal Navy’s Type 31 general purpose frigate programme. Rolls-Royce is now a major supplier to the programme with its brand MTU, delivering the Main Engines and Diesel Generators for the Frigates, which will be manufactured in Germany. Renk, will provide the main reduction gearboxes, and MAN Energy Solutions will supply the propellers and propeller shaft lines. In addition, Blunox are contracted to supply the exhaust environmental equipment that significantly reduces emissions from the Main Engines and Diesel Generators. Combined with the subcontract placed with Darchem Engineering Ltd, will supply the intake and exhaust systems for the main engines and generators, rounding out the key propulsion system subcontracts.
Babcock are also pleased to announce award of the Chilled Water Plant subcontract with Novenco AS, providing critical system capability for the HVAC system. The Type 31 Programme will deliver prosperity into shipbuilding and the extended supply chain. The scale of this investment, principally in design, engineering, project management, procurement and advanced manufacturing skills, has an enduring positive impact on the UK. Babcock International’s Team 31 have committed to a programme of investments to deliver prosperity in line with the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Babcock are delighted to welcome these key suppliers to the supply chain for the Type 31 frigate programme, and continue to engage with additional suppliers to support this exciting programme for Babcock and the Royal Navy.
The Type 31 frigate, also formerly known as the Type 31e frigate or General Purpose Frigate (GPFF), is a planned class of frigate for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy intended to enter service in the 2020s alongside the more capable Type 26 frigate. It is intended that the Type 31 frigate will replace some of the Type 23 frigates. It was announced on 12 September 2019 that the Arrowhead 140 design had been selected for the Type 31 Frigate. It is based heavily on the Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates for the Royal Danish Navy. A contract was formally awarded to Babcock Group on 15 November 2019, for an average production cost of £250 million per ship and an overall program cost set to be £2 billion with £1.25 billion value to prime contractor Babcock.
