BAE Systems Maritime – Maritime Services is a wholly owned subsidiary company of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

, specialising in the repair and maintenance of Royal Navy vessels, as well as product development, naval training and through life support for radar, torpedoes and small boats. Along with

BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines BAE Systems Submarines,BAE Systems Submarine Solutions was split out from BAE Systems Marine and operated as such until January 2012. It was named BAE Systems Maritime - Submarines until 2017 before it became BAE Systems Submarines. is a whol ...

and BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships, it is one of three divisions of BAE Systems Maritime.

History

Maritime Services was originally formed as Fleet Support Limited (FSL), a joint venture between GEC-Marconi and Vosper Thornycroft (now

VT Group VTG (formerly VT Group) is a privately held United States defense and services company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper Thornycroft. The British part of VTG was integrated into Babcock Interna ...

). GEC's 50% share passed to its successor

in 1999. In July 2008 BAE Systems and VT Group merged their military ship repair businesses to form BVT Surface Fleet. In 2009 the company was renamed BAE Systems Surface Ships Support Limited, with complete ownership passing to BAE Systems. In January 2012, BAE Systems Surface Ships Support was restructured, joining with parts of BAE Systems Insyte to become BAE Systems Maritime – Maritime Services.

Products and Services

Engineering Services

Maritime Services has an Engineering Services division which provides services including support engineering, design services and energy solutions. Its Energy team worked with the Royal Navy to construct a Combined Heat and Power plant in Portsmouth Naval Base, which provides low carbon power for naval vessels.

Manufacturing

Maritime Services carries out advanced manufacturing operations at Broad Oak in Portsmouth, Cowes on the Isle of Wight, Great Baddow in Essex and Hillend in Fife. It develops, tests, assembles and integrates a wide range of technologies for both commercial and military electronics markets, including missile seekers and avionics equipment

Naval Base Services

Maritime Services manages

Portsmouth Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

as part of KBS Maritime, a joint venture with KBR. It provides services such as strategic estate management, infrastructure programme delivery and the provision of operations, maintenance and alongside services.

Radar

Maritime Services has developed radars for both the Royal Navy and other customers. Principal products include several variants of the Type 997 Artisan radar,the SAMPSON radar and the Commander SL Long Range Tactical Air Defence Radar. In November 2017, Maritime Services was awarded a five-year, £18m contract to support the long-range radar equipment on the UK's six Type 45 destroyers. In June 2023, it was awarded a ten year contract to support the three main radar systems used across the Royal Navy Fleet and to develop the next generation of radar technology.

Small Boats

Maritime Services manufactures and supports a range of specialist high-speed military craft, including Rigid Inflatable Boats and Fast Attack Craft. These boats are used by Special Forces, navies, armies, air forces and governments in over 40 countries around the world. Principal products include the

Pacific 24 The Pacific 24 is a Rigid-hulled inflatable boat, rigid inflatable boat made by BAE Systems in the UK, one of a range of small boats made by the company. it was the latest Pacific craft within the BAE Halmatic range, and has been proven in ser ...

and Pacific 950 Rigid Inflatable Boats, as well as a Littoral Strike Craft concept that reflects the company’s evolving thinking on the UK’s planned Commando Insertion Craft requirement.

Training

Maritime Services provides a range of shore-based training facilities, using a mix of computer-based training, real equipment and high-fidelity simulators, which minimise the need for on-board training. Principal training facilities include the Maritime Composite Training Facility (MCTS) and the Astute Class Training Service (ACTS).

Underwater Weapons

Stingray Training Torpedo Firing MOD 45156539

Maritime Services designs, manufactures and supports a wide range of underwater weapons and autonomous underwater vehicles, including Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, Stingray lightweight torpedoes, Herne Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Archerfish expendable mine neutralisers. Currently, Maritime Services is undertaking a £270 million programme to upgrade the Spearfish torpedo. The upgrade includes a new insensitive-munition warhead from TDW, a change to the fuel system to improve safety, full digitisation of the weapon and a new fibre optic guidance link to improve performance. The upgraded torpedoes will enter operational service onboard all Royal Navy submarines by 2025. Following the upgrade of the Spearfish Heavyweight torpedo, Maritime Services will upgrade the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo.

Warship Support

Maritime Services is responsible for delivering end to end services and support to over 50% of the Royal Navy's surface fleet. Ships supported include the

Type 45 destroyer The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or ''Daring'' class, is a class of six guided-missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the early 21st century. The class is primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile ...

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...

s, Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels, River-class offshore patrol vessels and Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Maritime Services is part of an alliance with

Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

and consultancy firm

BMT BMT or bmt may refer to: Medicine * Bone marrow transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Science and technology * 5-hydroxyfuranocoumarin 5-O-methyltransferase, an enzyme * Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the national ...

that is contracted to resolve ongoing Type 45 power generation issues caused by unreliable

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...

intercooler An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines. Internal combustion engines Mo ...

s. In 2022, it signed an agreement with Qatar's Barzan Maintenance Shield to work together to deliver Warship Support and Naval Base Management Services for the Qatar Emiri Naval Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BAE Systems Maritime - Maritime Services BAE Systems subsidiaries and divisions BAE Systems facilities Defence companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Portsmouth