Bae Systems Maritime News

BAE Systems Autonomous Pacific 24 (AP24) Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) has been awarded Lloyd’s Register Unmanned Marine Systems (UMS) Certification. It is the first uncrewed naval vessel to achieve this certification, which verifies stringent safety and operational performance standards. The AP24 RIB was developed by BAE Systems for the UK Royal Navy under funding from the NavyX autonomy and lethality accelerator program, which aims to deliver new technology at pace. It is a step-change for the Royal Navy in uncrewed operations…

Australia-based VEEM, a company designing and building marine propulsion and stabilization systems, will manufacture a pilot propeller blade for the Hunter Class Frigate Program (HCFP), under a contract awarded by BAE Systems Maritime Australia."The order enables VEEM to demonstrate it has the manufacturing capability to join the HCFP supply chain. As a world leader in premium commercial propellers that has delivered similar blades to defense clients globally, VEEM is very confident it can meet the requirements of the HCFP…

An alliance team led by BAE Systems has won the contract to resolve propulsion issues that have been plaguing the U.K.’s most advanced air defense warships. The team, which also includes Cammell Laird and BMT, has been tasked to improve the resilience in the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyer power and propulsion system by replacing the existing two diesel generators, fitting an additional diesel generator and modifying the high voltage system on each ship. The warships had reportedly suffered a number of breakdowns at sea due to problems with their propulsion systems.

Andrew Wolstenholme OBE will join BAE Systems plc from May 24, 2018, in a newly-created role on the Executive Committee as Group Managing Director, Maritime and Land UK.   Wolstenholme will be responsible for BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land UK sectors and will report directly to Chief Executive, Charles Woodburn.   Wolstenholme joins BAE Systems from Crossrail Ltd., where he led Europe's largest infrastructure project for the last seven years. He has extensive experience in business leadership and delivering major engineering projects in the U.K., Asia and North America, including the delivery of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5.

A new partnership between Cammell Laird and BAE Systems aims to position the companies to build five Type 31e Frigates for the U.K. Royal Navy. The Teaming Agreement has been formed in response to the U.K. Ministry of Defense Request for Information and will now be part of a competitive tender process. Under the agreement, Cammell Laird will act as Prime Contractor to build the Type 31e Frigates with BAE Systems providing warship design, engineering capability and combat systems expertise.

A multimillion pound refit has been carried out on Portsmouth-based Type 23 Frigate, HMS Westminster, to return her to the forefront of naval capability. Her extensive maintenance period, as part of the £600 million Maritime Services Delivery Framework (MSDF), has been carried out by a team of more than 800 people at Portsmouth Naval Base, U.K. The upkeep program on the 24-year-old Duke Class frigate has followed several busy years of deployments across the globe and includes upgrades to weapons and marine systems that will enhance her warfighting capabilities for years ahead.

More than 140 university students from across the country are being given a unique insight into working life at BAE Systems, as part of the company’s 12-week summer internship program. At Portsmouth Naval Base and Cowes on the Isle of Wight, 11 interns are currently working across a number of disciplines from HR and finance, through to engineering and supply chain. Now in its third year, this growing program gives students the opportunity to learn from employees who are experts in their fields and gain insights that can only come from real world experience.

“Britannia rules the waves” paid a glowing tribute to the maritime past of the United Kingdom. Over the past three centuries as the sun began to set on the British power, resilient U.K. with its pioneering characteristics began its voyage of transformation to become a world-class maritime services center, with one of the largest clusters of marine insurance, ship finance, law, classification societies, ship broking, education and consultancy organizations. Significantly, two factors were responsible for this change. The first being marine transport, since it was the only point of access to the British Isles, and the second was the maritime trade and naval power that have had a great impact on the maritime sector influencing the country’s economy for several centuries.

BAE Systems has completed a large scale installation of solar panels at Portsmouth Naval Base to increase energy efficiency and generate savings. In total, almost 2,000 solar panels comprising the latest photovoltaic technology have been installed on two key Portsmouth Naval Base buildings. The new 500kW system is expected to generate energy savings worth more than £1million over the next 20 years. Ken Hobbs, Head of Energy Solutions and Services at BAE Systems Maritime Services said, “We are proud to be managing this important project for the Portsmouth Naval Base estate.

BAE Systems has been awarded a £270 million contract from the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) to upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s submarines. Following the completion of the design phase, existing torpedoes will be upgraded by BAE Systems at its Broad Oak facility in Portsmouth to the new design with initial deliveries in 2020 continuing until 2024. The contract secures 100 skilled engineering jobs for BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business at Broad Oak, and sustains hundreds more across the supply chain.

Nuship Canberra, the first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Australian Defense Force, has sailed on her final contractor sea trials before delivery to the Australian Government. The ship departed Williamstown shipyard on August 12 as planned with the trials taking place in both Port Phillip Bay and off the southern coast of New South Wales before returning to Williamstown around the end of August. Final contractor trials involve testing of the combat and communication systems along with some platform systems trials.

The Eighth FORAN Users Meeting (FORUM 2014) took place June 11-13, 2014 in the Parador de la Granja, Segovia, and when it was over the organizers proclaimed it a great success, recording the highest number of participants ever. On Thursday June 12, Rafael de Góngora, General Manager of SENER Marine Business Unit, welcomed the attendees and encouraged an open sharing of experience in using the FORAN System. Miguel Ángel Rojí, from Navantia (Spain), presented about the optimization of the design and production in the Spanish shipbuilding group of reference.

Organized every two years among the FORAN users, the Eight FORAN Users Meeting (FORUM 2014) took place from June 11-13 in the Parador de la Granja, Segovia. The event started on Wednesday, June 11, with a guided visit to the Royal Palace and Gardens of La Granja, and with a welcome reception to the nearly hundred participants that arrived from all over the world. On Thursday, June 12, Rafael de Góngora, General Manager of SENER Marine Business Unit, welcomed the attendees thanking…

The 'Successor' submarines, which will carry the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent, will be the largest and most advanced boats operated by the Royal Navy, & two  contracts worth £47 million and £32 million have been awarded to BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines who are leading on the design of the vessels. The investment will allow BAE Systems, who currently have more than a thousand people working on the Successor programme, to begin work on some initial items for the submarines that are due to replace the Vanguard Class from 2028.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has supplied the final batch of Platform Management System (PMS) hardware for the Royal Navy's Astute-class series' boat 5 submarine. Under a performance partnering arrangement, Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit supplied the PMS to BAE Systems Maritime–Submarines for installation on Astute Boat 5, Anson, at its shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, U.K. The PMS equipment controls and monitors the submarine's platform machinery and onboard systems. The PMS is expected to reduce life cycle costs and minimize program risk for the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

The keel was put down in a ceremony at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness attended by Defence Minister Philip Dunne, and came with the news that the first 2 of the 7 Astute Class submarines, HMS Astute & HMS Ambush, are nearing completion of their extensive sea trials and have been handed over to the Royal Navy to begin to prepare for operations. The seven Astute-Class submarines are being built for the Royal Navy to replace the Trafalgar-Class submarines and have greater firepower…

Thales UK was awarded contracts to supply the Sonar 2076 fully-integrated search and attack submarine sonar system for the UK Royal Navy’s sixth and seventh Astute Class submarines. Thales will supply the sonar system to BAE Systems Maritime - Submarines, the prime contractor for the Astute Class build, to be fitted to the submarines at its shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness. The complete sonar system supplied by Thales will comprise both inboard and outboard of the bow, fin, intercept and flank arrays, and the associated inboard processing.

Organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) the programme for the 5th Symposium is published. The symposium programme for the fifth 'Engine As A Weapon Symposium (EAAW V)', with its theme ‘Delivering Military Effect: A holistic approach to combat and platform system integration’, and featuring presentations by experts in combat and platform system design from home and overseas has now been published. Dr Mark Townley, Combat Systems Director, BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships will deliver the keynote address on the opening morning of the symposium.

The BAE Systems built Aft Island of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier will be loaded onto a sea-going barge on June 11 before its journey from the company’s Scotstoun site to Rosyth. This is the last major section of the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier and has been completed ahead of schedule by the team on the Clyde. The Aft Island is the Carrier’s air traffic control center. Angus Holt, Queen Elizabeth Class Block Delivery Director at BAE Systems Maritime - Naval Ships, will speak at the event. www.baesystems.com

'Araguari', the third of 3 Ocean Patrol Vessels built by BAE Systems, is handed over to the Brazilian Navy in a ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base UK. Employees joined guests from the Brazilian Navy and UK Royal Navy, to watch as members of the ship’s company raised the ensign for the first time, formally marking the handover of the Brazilian Navy’s newest vessel. Mick Ord, Managing Director of BAE Systems Maritime - Naval Ships business, said: “We are extremely proud to deliver Araguari. She is a highly capable ship, and with her sister ships, will be a great asset to the Brazilian Navy.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected to supply the Platform Management System (PMS) for the Royal Navy's fifth Astute-class submarine, Anson. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit will supply the PMS for Astute Boat 5 under a performance partnering arrangement (PPA) with BAE Systems Maritime-Submarine. BAE Systems will install the PMS equipment, which controls and monitors the submarine's platform machinery and onboard systems, at its shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, U.K. The contract also includes software, safety case, equipment and obsolescence management. The Astute-class is the Royal Navy's latest series of nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit previously supplied the PMS for Astute Boat 4, Audacious.

First of three BAE Systems built patrol boats for the Brazilian Navy, departs the UK for Rio de Janeiro. Amazonas has completed a rigorous sea-training program under the eye of the Flag Officer Sea Training with the Royal Navy off the South coast of England, and is homeward bound. Supported by a team from BAE Systems, the crew’s extensive training programme included navigation and duty watch training, as well as development and familiarisation of operational procedures for safety and security in areas including material assessment of the ship…

A £46m contract to support and maintain a new combat system across the Royal Navy's submarine fleet awarded to BAE Systems. The Design Services Arrangement contract will ensure that the system, which is used to navigate vessels as well as gather intelligence and defend against attacks, is maintained and developed over the next decade. The Royal Navy operates three classes of submarine, totalling 10 vessels, which are used to safeguard the UK's interests around the world. Currently, different combat systems are used across the fleet.