Surface Ship Equipment

Onboard Automated Materials Handling

The management of cargo onboard is currently a highly labour-intensive activity. In addition to the time taken to move cargo, the process of manually managing inventory is time-consuming and inefficient. 

Land-based warehouses enjoy the benefit of mechanised systems that deliver improved performance with minimal staff supervision. In addition, computerised inventory management increases process efficiency by eliminating the most commonly occurring issues of maintaining an accurate record of stock levels.

Proven through demonstration by the UK Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) when applied onboard the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers, our technology brings the latest handling solutions in a safe, efficient manner to the stowage and retrieval of airborne weapons from the vessel’s deep magazines to the hanger and flight deck, using a third of the personnel usually associated with this operation.

Helicopter Landing Grids

Securing a helicopter to the deck of a ship is paramount to enable the safe loading, unloading and transfer of the helicopter to a hangar. Part of this securing system is the helicopter landing grid, or Heligrid. This grid represents a high strength ‘target’ for the helicopter to attach itself to during the landing process.

The Babcock Heligrids are constructed from high tensile stainless steel for strength and corrosion resistance which meet STANAG 1276 requirements and are compatible with aircraft up to the size of Merlin EH101.

The grids can also be supplied with a factory-made deck plug, which provides a recess for the grid and permits cost effective and easy installation during modular ship build.

Weapons Handling & Stowage

Babcock has nearly 20 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of manual and powered Restrained Weapon Handling Systems for ships. With equipment already on a number of ships worldwide and currently being designed for the Type 26 vessels, we have experience of handling many different types and variants of weapons.