AtkinsRéalis secures role on Babcock’s global defence engineering framework

AtkinsRéalis has been appointed to Babcock International’s Global Engineering Services Framework in a move that strengthens its long-standing involvement across major UK defence and nuclear infrastructure programmes.

The agreement will see AtkinsRéalis provide specialist engineering and technical support to Babcock over the next five years across a range of defence sectors including nuclear, marine, aviation and land systems.

The company is expected to support projects at several strategically important UK defence sites, including Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth, Rosyth Royal Dockyard in Scotland and HMNB Clyde, alongside wider programmes linked to defence equipment, mission systems and platform development.

The framework expands an existing relationship between the two companies, with AtkinsRéalis having worked alongside Babcock for more than 15 years on complex nuclear-regulated facilities and large-scale infrastructure projects.

Under the new agreement, AtkinsRéalis will provide expertise across technical design, programme management, digital engineering, safety systems, infrastructure delivery and multidisciplinary platform engineering.

The company said the appointment would also allow it to broaden its involvement beyond infrastructure projects into wider mission-critical defence systems as international defence requirements continue to evolve.

AtkinsRéalis global market lead for defence David Clark said growing defence investment around the world was driving increasing demand for specialist engineering capability across both infrastructure and advanced military platforms.

He added that the framework would support wider international collaboration opportunities as both companies continue expanding operations in markets including Canada and Australia.

Babcock said the framework forms part of a new supply chain approach designed to improve access to specialist engineering expertise and increase delivery capacity across future defence programmes.

David Tytherleigh, Babcock’s director of growth and strategic procurement for nuclear, said closer collaboration with trusted suppliers would help support future programme planning and delivery.

Since 2010, AtkinsRéalis has provided engineering support at Devonport Royal Dockyard, where the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet undergoes maintenance, refuelling and overhaul operations.

The company has also supported infrastructure and operational programmes at HMNB Clyde — home to the UK Submarine Service — and Rosyth Royal Dockyard, one of the UK’s key defence manufacturing and maintenance facilities.