Manufacturing Today Issue - 251 August 2026 | Page 49

___________________________________________________________________ Babcock
International Group a £ 4 billion initiative that combines civil maritime development with naval capability. Rather than focusing solely on defense, the program aims to strengthen Indonesia’ s maritime economy, improve food security and build long-term industrial capability through local shipbuilding, skills development and technology transfer.
“ What makes this program so different is that it’ s about much more than building ships,” IIgi shares.“ On the civil side, we’ ll deliver around 1600 modern fishing vessels to help replace an ageing fleet, increase food security and protect Indonesia’ s maritime resources. Alongside that sits the naval element, providing the capability needed to safeguard those assets.
“ A key part of the program is developing capability within Indonesia itself. Around a third of the work will take place in Indonesia, another third in the UK and the remainder with international partners. That allows us to invest in local shipyards, develop supply
chains, work with universities and schools, and help build the skilled workforce needed to support a sustainable maritime industry.
“ When people think about defense, they often think about ships or engineering. For us, it’ s much broader than that. Projects like this create economic opportunity, strengthen security, develop skills and support long-term national resilience. Ultimately, we’ re not just delivering products; we’ re helping countries build the capabilities they need for the future.”
Another key driver of Babcock’ s international growth is the Arrowhead 140 frigate. Selected as the basis for the Royal Navy’ s Type 31 program, the adaptable platform has attracted interest from navies around the world, with its flexible design and licensing model enabling customers to tailor vessels to their own operational and industrial requirements.
“ We’ re seeing increasing demand for that approach. Countries such as Poland and Indonesia have chosen to build the platform
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