Babcock International has achieved a significant milestone in advancing additive manufacturing (AM) for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). On November 26, 2024, the company announced the successful delivery of its first work package under Project Tampa, an MoD accelerator program focused on leveraging AM technologies to enhance material availability and operational performance across defence assets.
Project Tampa: Transforming Defence with Additive Manufacturing
Launched in April 2023, Project Tampa is a collaborative initiative exploring how AM can modernize UK defence operations. The program’s objectives include increasing material availability, reducing part obsolescence, cutting costs, and improving performance for critical defence systems.
Babcock, alongside partners such as NP Aerospace, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), Thales, and AMFG, has been working to integrate AM solutions into the production and supply chains of defence platforms.
Innovative Additive Manufacturing Solutions
Babcock’s contributions under Project Tampa demonstrate the versatility of AM in producing complex components across various defence applications. Key achievements include:
- • L118 Light Gun (British Army): Babcock successfully developed an eye shaft for the Light Gun, a part now recommended for adoption into the defence inventory by the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation. This component is available through Babcock’s Material Availability Service.
- • 4.5-inch Gun Systems (Royal Navy): Additively manufactured components for the Type 23 frigates’ gun systems.
- • Torpedo Launch Systems (Submarines): AM solutions for critical parts used in the Royal Navy’s Astute and Dreadnought-class submarines.
These innovations highlight AM’s potential to deliver high-precision, durable components for mission-critical systems while addressing challenges like obsolescence and lead times.
Collaboration Driving Success
Babcock’s achievements are the result of close collaboration with its industry partners and the MoD. This partnership has allowed the team to address complex challenges and develop impactful solutions.
“Delivering the first package of work for Project Tampa is a significant milestone for our customer, as we continue to move forward to increase material availability across the sector,” said Kate Robinson, managing director of Babcock’s Land Sector. “Working collaboratively with industry partners and our customer has enabled us to explore the challenges and opportunities together to deliver the right solutions.”
Charlotte Robinson, leader of UK Strategic Command’s Defence Support Innovation team, noted:
“Through collaboration with the other Project Tampa suppliers and DE&S delivery teams, Babcock has demonstrated that additive manufacturing can play a key role in improving defence part availability.”
Source: euro-sd.com