Babcock International has achieved a significant milestone in advancing additive manufacturing (AM) for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). The company has recently announced the successful delivery of its first work package under Project Tampa, an MoD accelerator program focused on leveraging AM technologies to enhance material availability and operational performance across defence assets.
Launched in April 2023, Project Tampa is a collaborative initiative exploring how AM can modernize UK defence operations. The program’s objectives include increasing material availability, reducing part obsolescence, cutting costs, and improving performance for critical defence systems.
Babcock, alongside partners such as NP Aerospace, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), Thales, and AMFG, has been working to integrate AM solutions into the production and supply chains of defence platforms.
Babcock’s contributions under Project Tampa demonstrate the versatility of AM in producing complex components across various defence applications. Key achievements include L118 Light Gun (British Army); 4.5-inch Gun Systems (Royal Navy); Torpedo Launch Systems (Submarines).
These innovations highlight AM’s potential to deliver high-precision, durable components for mission-critical systems while addressing challenges like obsolescence and lead times.
