Babcock International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Plymouth-based ACUA Ocean Technologies and Estonia's Frankenburg Technologies to explore the use of low-cost missiles on uncrewed boats, aiming to protect UK ports and maritime infrastructure from mass drone attacks.
Partnership Details
The defence giant will collaborate with ACUA Ocean Technologies to develop capabilities that counter the threat of mass drone attacks, Babcock said in a statement. The partnership will also involve Frankenburg Technologies, integrating three key elements: Babcock's multi-domain launcher system, Frankenburg's low-cost missile systems, and uncrewed boats built by ACUA.
Last month, ACUA's vessel, the PIONEER USV, operated continuously for 16–20 nautical miles offshore, completing more than 100 hours at sea without any hands-on intervention. Meanwhile, Babcock's launcher system, which can be built and scaled quickly, can be fitted onto both crewed and uncrewed surface vessels.
Addressing Evolving Threats
"As threats from low-cost UAS continue to evolve, the need for effective and adaptable counter-drone capabilities has become increasingly important across the defence and security landscape," Babcock said in a statement. "This new agreement will create integrated solutions to combat that threat."
The MoU was signed at the Farnborough Air Show this week. Neil Tinmouth, chief executive of ACUA Ocean Technologies, said: “Partnering with Babcock and Frankenburg enables true persistent, multi-domain defence capabilities. To counter mass drone attacks, maritime air defence must be uninterrupted, yet rough weather often forces traditional systems out of limits. The unique stability of ACUA’s Pioneer-class, which we’ll be using for this collaboration, ensures these counter UAS and interchangeable payloads remain online and fully operational in high seas where other platforms fail.”
Building on Previous Collaboration
Babcock said the partnership builds on a MoU it signed with Frankenburg in January to explore new air defence systems that can withstand the rapid rise in one-way attack drones. Sir Nick Hine, chief growth officer for Babcock, said: “We’re excited to partner with innovative companies to develop an integrated approach that directly addresses some of the biggest challenges our customers face in today’s defence landscape. As a trusted systems integrator, collaborations like this will help protect critical national assets and infrastructure from attritable one-way attack drones.”
Daniel Hallett, managing director UK at Frankenburg Technologies, added: “Affordable missile defence is heading farther out to sea. By equipping ACUA’s uncrewed vessels with Frankenburg’s mass-manufacturable missiles and Babcock’s launcher technology, we aim to create a persistent and low-cost way to protect the UK’s ships, ports and critical maritime infrastructure against mass drone attacks.”
