Babcock has successfully completed the largest and most complex
Revalidation and Assisted Maintenance Period (RAMP) programme to
date, on Trafalgar class submarine HMSTalent, in-budget and two
weeks ahead of the contractual delivery date.
The RAMP is the first to have been undertaken since the
Contracting for Availability (CfA) approach to Trafalgar class
submarine support was introduced last year, geared to optimising
submarine availability. Babcock has worked closely with the
MOD and Royal Navy, both in developing an achievable programme and
in successfully delivering the challenging RAMP.
Talent has received more than 25 combat system and mechanical
upgrades during the substantial 15 month RAMP. Upgrades have
included Communications Coherency in Submarines (CCSM) final
increment stage two for fully network-enabled communication
capability, Sonar 2076 stage 5 for increased capability, a
first-of-class fit of the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII)
providing a coherent infrastructure for information sharing and
collaborative working across the defence sector network, and the
state-of-the-art Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information
System (WECDIS).
The RAMP also included a challenging gearbox stripdown, survey
and refurbishment work package, which necessitated working closely
with David Brown Engineering and Newcastle University to ensure
that the stringent tolerances and build standards were met.
The replacement of gearbox components required removal of a
significant number of engine room systems to provide the equipment
shipping route. This was a first for a fleet time maintenance
period.
Another first for a RAMP was the represervation of the emergency
cooling hard tank with an enhanced coating for improved longevity
(requiring stringently controlled environmental conditions for
application).
As part of the Contracting for Availability approach areas of
focus include planning, monitoring and control, cost performance,
risk management and facility management interfaces, as well as
safety, and all these were key features of this RAMP. Babcock
adopted a robust project management process and suite of
techniques, including strong use of Key Performance Indicators,
critical path adherence analysis, and Earned Value Management (EVM)
providing a metric to measure programme status against budget, to
help ensure delivery of the project to schedule and cost.
Babcock boat manager Rob McHardy said: "We are delighted to have
successfully completed this RAMP to quality, schedule and cost, to
meet Navy Command defence commitments, particularly given the
significant challenges involved in what has been the largest and
most complex RAMP to date. The considerable achievement is
testament to the close working between Babcock, MoD, Ship's Staff
and key contractors to deliver the complex work packages, and hard
work by all."
MOD PCM RAMP Cdr Martin Gill said: "Talent's RAMP has been a
great success. Babcock has demonstrated that by working
jointly with MOD, Ship's Staff and major contractors we have been
able to overcome the many difficulties inherent within a
maintenance period as complex as a RAMP. Through the hard
work of the whole team we have delivered a greatly improved
platform back to Navy Command ahead of schedule."