Bold claim: ARMOR Force could redefine how navies fight, blending autonomous and crewed systems into a single, resilient fleet. But here’s where it gets controversial: the real impact depends on how smoothly those systems work together under real-world, high-pressure conditions. This rewrite preserves every key fact and expands with clearer explanations and practical context.
Babcock’s ARMOR initiative is positioned to accelerate the Royal Navy’s pursuit of a modern, autonomous-dominated maritime capability. The Royal Navy is advancing a combined use of autonomous and manned systems at sea, fundamentally altering how threats are assessed and countered. In his keynote at the International Seapower Conference, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkin outlined Europe’s leading role in maritime tech development and responsiveness to ally demands. In response, ARMOR Force (Autonomous and Remote, Maritime Operational Response – Force) is being introduced as an architecture built from modular, disaggregated systems and platforms capable of independent action and connected through cutting-edge digital infrastructure.
Collaborations are central to this plan. Working with HII (NYSE:HII), the United States’ largest military shipbuilder and a world leader in unmanned maritime platforms, and defence-tech firm Arondite, Babcock aims to accelerate a Hybrid Navy. A key objective is to enable a Type 31 Common Command Vessel (CCV) that can control a network of large autonomous uncrewed vessels and other systems. This concept underpins the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion, Atlantic Strike, and Atlantic Shield operations, providing dispersed, resilient anti-submarine, air defense, and strike capabilities.
ARMOR Force is notable for its flexible, robust design. Beyond the T31 CCV, the system includes large Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) that can operate autonomously or be remotely piloted, plus modular PODS (Persistent Operational Deployment Systems) packaged in containers for rapid capability deployment and mission autonomy. The plan aims for an autonomous mission system that could be deployed by the end of 2026.
To deliver this end-to-end solution through the ship’s life, Babcock works with HII, which is developing and constructing the ROMULUS family of USVs. The ROMULUS line is AI-enabled to meet current and emerging Royal Navy needs, designed for rapid production, long endurance at sea, and sustained open-ocean autonomy with a focus on lethality, cost efficiency, and scalability. In parallel, Babcock will design and manufacture the handling system to load and unload PODS onto HII’s ROMULUS USVs, broadening the fleet’s capabilities.
Arondite, a UK-founded defence tech company, contributes its Cobalt Operating System, which provides the autonomy and mission orchestration layer for ARMOR Force. This software will integrate crewed and uncrewed platforms into unified fleets that can be commanded from sea or shore. The collaboration between Babcock and Arondite focuses on designing, developing, and deploying AI-enabled, interoperable, and autonomy-native maritime systems for the UK and global forces.
Sir Nick Hine, Chief Executive of Babcock’s Marine sector, described ARMOR Force as a direct answer to the First Sea Lord’s call for a reimagined Hybrid Navy. He emphasized that the partnerships with HII and Arondite represent a bold step forward, combining advanced autonomy, modular systems, and digital innovation to produce a more agile, resilient fleet prepared for tomorrow’s challenges. This approach aims to keep the Royal Navy at the forefront of global maritime security for decades and to redefine what is possible at sea.
Chris Kastner, President and CEO of HII, expressed pride in participating in this industry-shaping initiative to deliver a hybrid Navy concept for the Royal Navy and international markets. He highlighted that partnering with Babcock strengthens HII’s ability to bring ROMULUS to ARMOR Force and to support the Royal Navy’s future fleet vision. ROMULUS brings scale, autonomy, and real operational advantages, while HII contributes world-leading expertise across land, sea, and air, with the capacity to innovate at scale using a platform already in production.
Will Blyth, Co-founder and CEO of Arondite, noted that the future of maritime power will hinge on a flexible mix of crewed and uncrewed systems, enabled by distributed sensors and effectors. He explained that Cobalt was designed to tackle this exact challenge and welcomed the collaboration with Babcock and HII to rapidly deliver the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Navy vision.
Built on open commercial standards and NATO-compatible frameworks, ARMOR Force is designed so that the technology can operate alongside allied forces. Babcock’s Rosyth facility is well positioned to develop and deliver this suite of technologies, leveraging its digital dockyard, established partners, and a strong focus on mission-system autonomy, real-time model training and simulation, remote operations, and mission-system integration to deliver next-generation capabilities."
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