Norco delivers GFRP hard hulled riverine craft for BAE Systems
Norco’s broad-ranging materials and manufacturing expertise revitalize UK MOD legacy craft, providing a solution for future defense and communications sector projects.
Source (All Images) | Norco
Norco Composites & GRP (Poole, Dorset, U.K.) was commissioned by (London, U.K.) to deliver a series of hard hulled riverine craft (HHRC) for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). Designed by BAE Systems, these robust, versatile craft are essential for fast raiding and assault missions, particularly in riverine environments and beach landing operations. Their compact design enables rapid deployment and mobility, making them indispensable for U.K. defense forces.
HHRC support operations in challenging environments, including river patrols, beach assaults, dive support, demolition and general service duties. Each vessel has lifting points for helicopter transport or deployment from larger vessels, enabling easy mobilization to remote and inaccessible locations. Built to meet stringent U.K. MOD regulations, these 5.2-meter craft ensure stability, reserve buoyancy and resistance to swamping.
BAE Systems initially raised concerns regarding the ability to meet new weight targets, as the manufacturing techniques originally used in the 1990s did not align with modern requirements. Norco’s engineering team addressed these challenges by leveraging historical production methods in combination with modern quality standards.
Completed HHRC craft.
The team conducted comprehensive market research on material availability and historic certifications, ultimately presenting an optimized material solution that met certification and customer requirements. Using a specialist epoxy hand-lay method, Norco says it not only met but exceeded the weight restrictions for the project, demonstrating precision in a skill-focused production task.
Norco’s approach resulted in a lightweight, low-profile vessel featuring reserve buoyancy from foam filling, enabling high-performance, low-draft operations in shallow waters such as rivers, swamps and beach landings. This configuration delivers the flexibility, durability and reliability that BAE Systems required for this legacy craft.
The glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) construction, enhanced with metal backing plates and under-deck hard points, ensures durability in harsh conditions, Norco reports, guaranteeing that the vessels can withstand rigorous operational demands. By delivering on weight and performance requirements, Norco successfully maintained the integrity of the original design while integrating modern material standards.
“Through our collaboration with Norco on the HHRC project, the team has delivered a product that enhances our outsourcing model and meets our high standards and capability,” says Steve Quick, boats program lead, BAE Systems. “We look forward to potential opportunities to work together in the future.”
Related Content
-
Composites manufacturing for general aviation aircraft
General aviation, certified and experimental, has increasingly embraced composites over the decades, a path further driven by leveraged innovation in materials and processes and the evolving AAM market.
-
Plant tour: Airbus, Illescas, Spain
Airbus’ Illescas facility, featuring highly automated composites processes for the A350 lower wing cover and one-piece Section 19 fuselage barrels, works toward production ramp-ups and next-generation aircraft.
-
Welding is not bonding
Discussion of the issues in our understanding of thermoplastic composite welded structures and certification of the latest materials and welding technologies for future airframes.
