Overview
- The agreement authorizes Babcock’s Rosyth yard to manufacture complex assemblies for Block VI Virginia-class submarines supporting Newport News Shipbuilding.
- This is the first Virginia-class outsourcing to Babcock tied specifically to NNS work and is intended to boost production throughput and supply-chain resilience.
- HII CEO Chris Kastner said leveraging U.K. expertise will reinforce the supplier base, strengthen U.S. submarine production, and support the trilateral partnership.
- The contract builds on a 2023 strategic agreement, the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification program, and a DSEI memorandum on integrating HII REMUS UUVs with Babcock launch systems.
- InsideDefense reports the timing follows a Pentagon review endorsing AUKUS submarine cooperation, and U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey lauded the deal as a vote of confidence in Scotland’s defense workforce.