UK-based Babcock International Group and the US shipbuilder HII have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a system for the autonomous launch and recovery of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) from submarine torpedo tubes.
The partnership will bring together HII’s Remus family of UUVs and Babcock’s submarine weapon handling and launch systems (WHLS). The joint initiative builds on a strategic partnership the two companies started in 2023 and follows the US Navy’s first successful forward-deployed launch and recovery of a Remus UUV via a torpedo tube.
Chris Kastner, President and CEO of HII, stated that the partnership demonstrates the promise of pairing the two companies' technologies to strengthen the undersea advantage of allied navies.
Sir Nick Hine, Babcock's Chief Executive for Marine, added that the two firms are, "combining over a century of expertise in surface and sub-surface systems to further explore marine technologies and strengthen defense capabilities".
Babcock stated it has designed and manufactured submarine WHLS for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy and overseas customers for more than 50 years, with its systems currently in service with the submarine fleets of the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, and South Korea.
HII, on the other hand, remarked that it has sold more than 700 Remus UUVs to over thirty countries.