The NDP’s objectives are as follows;
- Translate capability requirements into concept designs for affordable and cost effective naval vessels.
- Help sustain within the UK the capability to design naval vessels at the platform and combat system architecture levels with an enduring business model.
- Encourage and generate innovation in design with a creative and incentivised multi-company team.
- Influence the direction of research and articulate the “route to market” to maximise technology exploitation for future cost effective naval vessels.
- Support the MoD Project Teams in quantifying performance, cost and schedule risk in the concept phase.
The Naval Design Partnering Team has 4 distinct roles;
- Role 1 - Early stage, ie pre-concept, design and the pull-through of latest technological developments into the pre-concept design phase;
- Role 2 – Concept design, in which a range of design concepts are developed to meet the capability requirements;
- Role 3 – Providing continuity of design and expert resource to support MoD and their Tier 1 suppliers during the system/functional design phase;
- Role 4 – Capability management in the ‘in-service’ phase - Technical design authority roles and studies supporting customers in their service phase
The UK’s naval community has long benefited from the diversity of organisations who contribute to the design of our warships, submarines and auxiliaries. The innovation that this diversity fosters is the means by which we challenge convention and tackle the long-standing issues in designing adaptable and affordable naval platforms. This requirement has led to the initiation of a Naval Design Partnering Team (NDP) that addresses a series of concurrent issues; ie the need for MoD to maintain ownership and oversight of the process of translating requirements into a product specification, and the critical need for the UK’s design resources to be deployed across build and support, and across ships and submarines.
The NDP is a team of skilled specialists from MoD and Industry which undertakes concept design work in response to MoD requirements for future naval vessels. The team also supports capability insertion through life. The NDP is needed in order to draw innovation from a wide base into future concept designs, and maintain the skills required to support current and future MoD naval programmes.
The NDP is currently undertaking concept design activities for the following projects;
- Future Surface Combatant C1 variant
- Future Surface Combatant C2 variant
- MHPC project (Mine countermeasures, Hydrographic, Patrol Craft)
- Fast Landing Craft
- T23 Frigate Power Generation System Upgrade
Other NDP tasks include;
- T23 Frigate Through Life Management Plan
- Concept design work for various Frigate equipment upgrades
- Miscellaneous concept design studies for Naval equipments and ships,
- Identification of potential R&D work to inform future submarine design
- “22nd Century Frigate” – pre-concept studies
Although the Naval Design Partnering Team is being set up to undertake concept design work for the UK Ministry of Defence, there has been significant interest from other navies across the world. As a consequence, the NDP will consider approaches from governmental organisations in other countries where concept design expertise is required.
As from 1 April 2010, the NDP will form part of the Maritime Combat Systems Group within Director Ships’ Operating Centre
Page updated 11 March 2010