London defense company Babcock has received a contract to provide the British Army’s armored vehicle teams with technical and trade training.
Valued at 75 million pounds ($94.7 million), the project will focus on the close combat capabilities of tracked and wheeled armored fighting vehicles (AFVs).
Preparations will be made for field and defense users, covering driving, maintenance, information and communications, and gunnery courses.
Work for the contract will commence in April at the British Army’s Armour Centre (ARMCEN) facilities in Bovington and Lulworth.
“It is vital that soldiers are operationally ready for the field both in the UK and Europe,” Babcock Training Business Managing Director Jo Rayson stated.
“We have a long-standing role in supporting the British Army, managing all aspects of the army training cycle, designing and delivering over 758,000 individual training days annually.
“We are delighted to have secured this contract to continue this essential work providing training to the mounted close combat community.”
Supporting Armour Centre Vehicles
Alongside the training segment, Babcock will facilitate management and maintenance services for the ARMCEN AFV fleet, corresponding motor transport pools, garrison, and physical training of its operators.
“This critical new contract award occurs at an exciting moment in the development of the British Army’s armoured fighting vehicle training,” Bovington Garrison Commander Col. John Godfrey said.
“Babcock will continue to deliver training on our legacy vehicle fleet, seeking continuous improvement in delivery throughout this contract and our future Ajax, BOXER and Challenger 3 crews will benefit from the developments made.”
Recent Training Projects
In December 2023, Babcock signed a separate contract to prepare the British Army for friend or foe system operations.
The company received a $65 million award five months earlier to train Ukrainian personnel on armored vehicles donated by the UK government in defense against Russia’s invasion.