Building the Hybrid Navy
Sir Nick Hine explains how Babcock’s ARMOR Force could turn a Type 31 frigate into the command centre for a distributed fleet of autonomous vessels.
F
or Sir Nick Hine, Chief Executive of Babcock’s Marine sector, the idea behind ARMOR Force is not new.
What has changed is the technology, the experience of Ukraine and, with the Defence Investment Plan, the funding commitment to make the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Navy a reality. “The concept hasn’t changed, but the technology has caught up. And Ukraine has happened in the middle of all that,” said Hine. ARMOR Force – Autonomous and Remote Maritime Operational Response Force – combines a Common Combat Vessel (CCV) with large uncrewed surface vessels carrying modular capabilities. Hine envisages a Type 31 CCV
operating alongside three USVs configured for the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion, Shield and Strike missions. “You go from a frigate to a mini
task force.”
The frigate reimagined The transformation need not involve rebuilding Type 31. Hine said a
minimum viable CCV could be created relatively quickly with “some computer server additions, some communications upgrades, some software”.
Later vessels could be purpose- built derivatives of the Arrowhead 140 design, taking advantage of the adaptability already engineered into Type 31.
The uncrewed element is equally substantial. Babcock’s planned Arrowhead 60 is a 60m ocean- going vessel capable of carrying up to four 40ft containers, allowing capabilities to be changed according to the mission. The approach is deliberately
modular. Rather than hardwiring every sensor or weapon into a ship, Babcock wants capabilities packaged into interoperable containers that could potentially be used across platforms and domains. “If I create a counter-UAS system in
a box, I can either put it on a ship... or how about I put it next to an airport? Or I put it in a truck, and I send it to a battlefield?”
Humans in the loop Despite the name, Hine is clear that ARMOR does not envisage warships independently deciding how to fight. “We talk about commanded
autonomy. The idea that these things are just going to run around the ocean doing their own thing independently is just not happening.” Platforms would navigate autonomously, while human operators oversee their mission capabilities and retain control over critical decisions, including weapons engagement. Babcock now intends to turn the concept into hardware by developing its own USV through self-funded R&D. For Hine, the vision is clear:
“Our ambition is that when HMS Venturer sails for the first time, she will do so in company with an Arrowhead 60, enhancing the Royal Navy’s operational capability for decades to come.”
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babcockinternational.com Autumn 2026 | Advance 17
Photo credit: Babcock
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