Babcock International has revealed transformative plans to deliver the Royal Navy’s vision for a next-generation ‘Hybrid Fleet’. The new architecture, named ARMOR Force (Autonomous and Remote, Maritime Operational Response – Force), is designed to enable crewed warships to command a dispersed, networked force of large autonomous vessels and systems, fundamentally altering maritime combat power.
Responding to the First Sea Lord’s call for accelerated innovation, ARMOR Force will create a Type 31 frigate-based Common Command Vessel (CCV) capability. This will allow these new frigates to control a suite of autonomous assets at the heart of the Royal Navy’s future Atlantic operations. The solution is built around adaptable, resilient components: the T31 CCV, large Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), and modular containerised Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) for rapid mission-specific capability swaps.
To deliver this end-to-end vision, Babcock is partnering with global leaders. They are collaborating with HII, the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, which will provide its ROMULUS family of AI-enabled, long-endurance USVs engineered for scalable, lethal open-ocean operations. Babcock will design the handling systems to embark PODS onto these unmanned vessels.
Concurrently, Babcock is partnering with UK defence technology firm Arondite. Its Cobalt Operating System will act as the core autonomy and mission orchestration layer, seamlessly integrating crewed and uncrewed platforms into a unified fleet commandable from sea or shore.
“ARMOR Force is our response to the call for a re-imagined Hybrid Navy,” said Sir Nick Hine, Chief Executive of Babcock’s Marine sector. “We are combining advanced autonomy, modular systems, and digital innovation to create a fleet that is more agile, resilient, and ready for tomorrow’s challenges.”
Chris Kastner, HII’s President and CEO, stated, “Partnering with Babcock strengthens HII’s ability to support the Royal Navy’s future fleet vision. The ROMULUS USVs bring scale, autonomy, and real operational advantage.”
Arondite’s CEO, Will Blyth, added, “We are proud to combine our autonomy capabilities with the world-leading integration expertise of Babcock and HII to rapidly deliver the Royal Navy’s vision.”
Built on open NATO and commercial standards for interoperability with allies, the ARMOR Force technologies will be developed and integrated at Babcock’s advanced Rosyth facility, leveraging its digital dockyard and expertise in mission systems autonomy and simulation. The initiative aims to have an autonomous mission system deployable by the end of 2026.
