Babcock Reports Progress on UK Aircraft Carrier Construction

A further milestone has been reached with the start of the second modular assembly cycle of the first QE-class aircraft carrier in Rosyth

A further milestone has been reached in the assembly of the first of the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers by Babcock at Rosyth, Scotland, where the massive Super Block 03 (SB03) has been moved 90 metres north to meet Lower Block 02 (LB02) in a major hydraulic skidding operation, as part of Assembly Cycle B (the second of the three assembly cycles) which has now begun.

The aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabethand HMS Prince of Wales –  by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), a unique partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Babcock Thales and the Ministry of Defence – are being built in large individual blocks at six shipyards around the UK, which are then transported to Babcock’s Rosyth facility for final assembly and integration.

Babcock Warship Programmes Director Sean Donaldson commented: “To date Babcock has achieved or bettered the programme schedule milestones for block erection and completion of steelwork integration.  The start of Assembly Cycle B is an intensive period and we are focusing the team on continuing to deliver successfully and to-schedule.”

 The 65,000 tonne QE Class aircraft carriers will be the UK’s largest (280 metres long, 74 metres wide, and 56 metres high) and most powerful warships, providing the armed forces with four acre military operating bases that can be deployed worldwide.