Babcock has entered a new collaboration with ACUA Ocean Technologies and Frankenburg Technologies to investigate how uncrewed surface vessels could be equipped with affordable interceptor missiles to counter the growing threat of mass drone attacks at sea. The agreement, signed during the Farnborough International Airshow, brings together Babcock’s modular launcher architecture, Frankenburg’s low‑cost guided missiles, and ACUA Ocean’s autonomous platforms.
ACUA Ocean, based at Turnchapel Wharf in Plymouth – a site increasingly regarded as the UK’s hub for maritime autonomy and advanced uncrewed systems development – will provide its Pioneer‑class USV as the host vessel for the concept. The company’s location at Turnchapel Wharf places it at the centre of a cluster of autonomous maritime innovation, making it a natural partner for efforts to develop persistent, unmanned defensive pickets for coastal and offshore protection.
Long‑endurance autonomous craft
The collaboration builds on an earlier agreement between Babcock and Frankenburg signed in January, which focused on new approaches to air defence in response to the rapid rise of one‑way attack drones. With ACUA Ocean now involved, the partners aim to demonstrate how these systems could be deployed at sea using long‑endurance autonomous craft.
“We’re excited to partner with innovative companies to develop an integrated approach that directly addresses some of the biggest challenges our customers face in today’s defence landscape. As a trusted systems integrator, collaborations like this will help protect critical national assets and infrastructure from attritable one-way attack drones.”
- Sir Nick Hine, Babcock’s Chief Growth Officer
ACUA Ocean’s Pioneer‑class vessel
A key selling point of the concept is the seakeeping of ACUA Ocean’s Pioneer‑class vessel. Designed for stability and endurance rather than speed, the platform is intended to remain operational in conditions that would limit many smaller autonomous craft.
Pictured: (L-R) Neil Tinmouth, ACUA OCEAN, Sir Nick Hine, Babcock, Daniel Hallett, Frankenburg Technologies
“To counter mass drone attacks, maritime air defence must be uninterrupted, yet rough weather often forces traditional systems out of limits. The unique stability of ACUA’s Pioneer-class, which we’ll be using for this collaboration, ensures these counter UAS and interchangeable payloads remain online and fully operational in high seas where other platforms fail.”
- ACUA Ocean CEO Neil Tinmouth
“Affordable missile defence is heading farther out to sea. By equipping ACUA’s uncrewed vessels with Frankenburg’s mass-manufacturable missiles and Babcock’s launcher technology, we aim to create a persistent and low-cost way to protect the UK’s ships, ports and critical maritime infrastructure against mass drone attacks.”
- Daniel Hallett, Frankenburg Technologies
Frankenburg’s Mark I missile is designed to counter short‑range drone threats using commercially available components and industrial manufacturing techniques, with the aim of reducing interception costs by a factor of 10–20 compared with existing short‑range missile systems. This affordability focus reflects lessons from recent conflicts, where expensive air‑defence missiles have frequently been used to destroy drones costing a fraction of the price.
For ACUA Ocean, the partnership aligns with its broader Sentinel concept – a vision of distributed autonomous vessels equipped with sensors and defensive payloads to provide continuous surveillance and outer‑layer protection for UK waters, naval bases and critical infrastructure. Turnchapel Wharf’s role as a centre for autonomous maritime development provides the industrial ecosystem needed to support such persistent operations.
Although the agreement remains at the memorandum‑of‑understanding stage, it illustrates how industry is moving to support the Royal Navy’s ambition for a hybrid fleet combining crewed ships with autonomous systems. Persistent uncrewed patrol vessels armed with low‑cost interceptors could offer a scalable way to defend against large numbers of cheap aerial threats without incurring unsustainable costs.
