Babcock wins CESM contract for Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates.

According to a PR published by Babcock International Group on October 6, 2022, the defence company, has been awarded the contract to deliver, install and provide in-service support for Ardent Wolf, the maritime Communications Electronic Support Measures (CESM) capability for the UK Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates.
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Royal Navy's Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans. (Picture source: UK MoD)

The six-year programme draws upon our people’s unique knowledge of CESM and Babcock’s role as the Royal Navy’s principal support partner for the Type 23 fleet.

The contract will involve equipment installation, repair, and maintenance, system, and design safety, contractor logistics support, training, and all updates.

Babcock’s agile solution establishes a framework that can be applied to current, and future platforms, with the aim of providing increased safety for Royal Navy crews.

The new system replaces the outgoing Hammerhead, which Babcock has been supporting for the past six years, and will help to ensure a low-risk transition.

About the Type 23 frigates

The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy.

The first Type 23, HMS Norfolk, was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, HMS St Albans was commissioned in June 2002. They form the core of the Royal Navy's destroyer and frigate fleet and serve alongside the Type 45 destroyers.

They were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but have been used for a range of uses. Twelve Type 23 frigates remain in service with the Royal Navy, with three vessels having been sold to the Chilean Navy, and one being retired in 2021.

The frigates have a length of 133 m (436 ft 4 in), a beam of 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in), and a draught of 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in). They can reach a top speed of 28 knots ( 52 km/h; 32 mph).

The ships have a displacement of 4,900 t (4,800 long tons; 5,400 short tons), and a range of 7,500 nautical miles (14,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h). They can carry a complement of 185 sailors.