Babcock, the Aerospace and Defence company, has been awarded a multimillion pound contract extension to manufacture a further 18 tactical Missile Tube Assemblies (MTAs) for General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB). It is part of the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) project for the UK Dreadnought class and US Columbia class submarine programmes, and will support more than 200 Advanced Manufacturing jobs at Babcock’s Rosyth and Bristol facilities. This highly specialised, internationally significant work reinforces Babcock’s position as a critical supplier of MTAs, utilising its digital manufacturing skills and expertise to support the future deterrent submarine programmes for both the UK and US Navies.
Since 2014, Babcock has successfully secured competitive 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.This latest award is a real vote of confidence in the Babcock team and positions it well for subsequent awards. Babcock’s programme of work has been supported by a multimillion-pound facilities investment at Rosyth and Bristol.
The Columbia-class submarine, formerly known as the Ohio Replacement Submarine and SSBN-X Future Follow-on Submarine, is an upcoming class of nuclear submarines designed to replace the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines in the United States Navy. The first submarine is scheduled to begin construction in 2021 and enter service in 2031. The Dreadnought class is the future replacement for the Vanguard class of ballistic missile submarines. Like their predecessors they will carry Trident II D-5 missiles. Their replacement is necessary if the Royal Navy is to maintain a continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD), the principle of operation behind the Trident system.
