British Babcock's ARMOR Force Adds Thales, Hensoldt and Kraken to Pair Frigates With Naval Drones

Babcock announced seven additional partners for its ARMOR Force framework at Euronaval on November 4, expanding its proposed architecture for mixed crewed and uncrewed naval fleets. CUBEDIN, Exail, Hensoldt, Kraken Technology Group, SH Defence, Stormborn and Thales join the ecosystem, with Babcock acting as overall integrator. The concept uses a Type 31 frigate as a Common Command Vessel for large HII uncrewed surface vessels, supported by Arondite's Cobalt mission-orchestration software. Babcock has offered a 2027 demonstration involving HMS Venturer and an HII vessel, but neither an operational procurement contract nor a launch customer has been confirmed.