HII and Babcock International Group have signed a new contract to expand their strategic partnership, aimed at increasing construction throughput for Virginia-class submarines at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. The agreement also seeks to build greater resilience within HII’s submarine supply chain.
This marks the first Virginia-class outsourced contract awarded to Babcock specifically for NNS submarine work. Under the deal, Babcock is authorized to manufacture complex submarine assemblies at its Rosyth facility in Scotland for Block VI Virginia-class fast-attack submarines.
By broadening the partnership, HII will gain access to more suppliers capable of delivering large structural components with the required quality standards.
“This is a significant next step in delivering on our joint commitment to enhance both organizations’ capabilities, for the benefit of U.S. and U.K. programs,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO. “Leveraging Babcock’s reach and expertise in the U.K. will reinforce our supplier base, strengthen submarine production in the U.S., and support the trilateral AUKUS partnership.”
In July 2023, HII and Babcock entered a strategic agreement to collaborate on naval and civil nuclear decommissioning and construction opportunities in both the U.K. and U.S. Since then, the companies have successfully worked across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) program. That initiative accelerates the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers into the U.S. submarine industrial base, with plans to expand to include products for the U.K.’s Astute-class submarine industrial base.
