Aurora partnership secures £22 million contract to provide expert support to Royal Navy fleets
Aurora Engineering partners QinetiQ, Atkins and BMT will provide support services to the RN and RFA under a new five-year contract. (Photo: UK MoD Crown Copyright)
The Aurora Engineering Partnership and the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation have agreed a new £22 million contract to provide support to the RN and Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleets.
The contract will run for five years until 2028, and Aurora will provide subject matter expertise and support to the DE&S Ships Maintenance Management (SMM) team, specifically Reliability Centred Management (RCM) expertise.
Aurora will assist in platform and equipment maintenance generation, third-party audits of RCM studies, and workforce training in RCM methodology and application.
As part of the contract, the company will also deliver direct support to all users of the navy’s prime maintenance management system (UMMS), and Aurora partner BMT will provide independent audit and training services. Xpedite will deliver the bulk of the RCM SME activity.
Cdr Matt Shirvill RN, the SMM owner, praised the collaboration between the two sides and stated that the contract would provide essential maintenance support to surface and sub-surface fleets and the wider maritime support community.
The Aurora Engineering Partnership consists of QinetiQ, Atkins and BMT and delivers the Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP) model for the procurement of engineering services for DE&S.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Funding for the future US Navy Trump-class battleship sparks controversy in Congress
Lawmakers question the US Navy’s proposed $2 billion investment in the Trump-class battleship as concerns over cost, technology maturity and operational relevance fuel growing bipartisan scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
-
Germany sinks F126 frigate programme in favour of cheaper MEKO A-200
On 24 June 2026, the German Ministry of Defence announced it was cancelling the F126 frigate programme in favour of procuring eight MEKO A-200 DEU frigates.
-
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.