BAE Systems has awarded a sub contract to Babcock to provide actuators and positioning sensing arrays for the UK Royal Navy’s fifth, sixth and seventh Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines.
Under the contract, Babcock will deliver three sets of control surface hydraulic actuators with five per submarine, two for the aft hydroplane, one for the forward hydroplane and two for the rudder, as well as five positioning sensing arrays per boat set.
The company will procure the components, and assemble and functionally test the units prior to delivering to BAE, as part of the two and a half year contract.
Babcock support manager Stuart Farrell said: "We are pleased to have been awarded this contract, which follows on from the equipment successfully delivered by Babcock for boats one to four, and demonstrates the value of our good, long-term relations with BAE Systems."
The BAE Systems-built Astute-class vessels feature ECB680 communications and SEEPIRB emergency beacon buoys as well as an ultra-high frequency satellite communications antenna.
Capable of carrying a crew of 98, the 97m-long Astute-class submarines also feature Thales Sensors Outfit UAP(4) electronic support measures, and are armed with Tomahawk Block IV (tactical tomahawk) cruise missiles as well as Spearfish torpedoes and mines.
In addition, the 11.3m-wide submarines can cruise at a dived speed of 29k using Rolls-Royce PWR 2 pressurised water reactor and will replace the Royal Navy’s existing Swiftsure and Trafalgar-class vessels.
The assembly and testing of the sets are scheduled to commence in late 2013 for around 12 months while the first boat sets will be delivered in early 2015.
Image: Royal Navy’s Astute-class submarine cruising on the water surface. Photo: file image.
