Babcock awarded refit contract for second Vanguard-class SSBN

The overhaul of HMS
Victorious
will allow the boat to carry out deterrent patrols until the next generation of SSBNs, the Dreadnought class, enters service.
(Babcock)

Babcock has been awarded a contract by the UK Submarine Delivery Agency to carry out the non-refuelling deep maintenance and life-extension (LIFEX) programme for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) second Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), HMS
Victorious.

The full-cost recovery contract, worth an estimated GBP560 million (USD709.9 million), replaces an initial contract awarded in July 2023 to begin preparatory work on the submarine at Babcock’s Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth.

Victorious
is the second of the RN’s four Vanguard-class SSBNs to undergo a LIFEX package at Babcock’s Devonport facility. The refits are intended to extend the service life of the submarines until the replacement Dreadnought-class SSBNs start entering service from the early 2030s.

According to Babcock, the programme of work on
Victorious