Babcock International at 'Innovation Cities' in Bristol
Babcock International's Global Technology Director, Andrew Munday, will be contributing to our Bristol 'Innovation Cities' forum in October.
Andrew is accountable for the firm's technology strategy and it's coordination, prioritisation and delivery across all sectors and all geographies. He has been based in Bristol since graduating, with almost 30 years experience in engineering roles across the nuclear, rail, aerospace and defence industries.
He has worked in a variety of technical and leadership roles across the product lifecycle from early concept development through to certification and in service support. His roles in that time have included developing and leading large teams of engineers, as well as creating new product solutions, capability development and innovations to solve engineering challenges.
Andrew has been at Babcock for 6 years, where he leads on technology for the group, across all sectors and geographies. This includes setting strategy, coordinating and cohering the R&D activities, and running the supporting functions such as technology horizon scanning, IP policy and management and partnerships with SMEs and academia. Previously to this he was the Engineering and Technology Director for the Mission Systems sector, responsible for the engineering, technology and production capabilities. Prior to joining Babcock he was the Advanced Engineering Director at AtkinsRealis, based at their Aztec West office in Bristol.
Babcock International has a 2,000 strong Bristol workforce split between two sites.
Babcock International says that rapid advances in AI, shifting geopolitics and growing supply‑chain pressures are creating new challenges for defence and engineering, demanding faster adaptation and smarter, more resilient solutions.
Andrew will be speaking about the need for greater data infrastructure for the region to cope with greater demands for defence and connected businesses.
This month, Babcock says it has demonstrated its systems integration expertise by securely transferring scenario data using advanced encryption technology from Arqit Quantum Inc, a global leader in quantum-safe encryption, helping safeguard sensitive information from future cyber threats.
It reports:
'Data was collected at one site in Millbrook at DVD 2026, encrypted by Arqit software and securely transmitted to our Ground Deployed Advanced Mortar System (GDAMS), located at another site at the event.
'It demonstrated how critical operational information could be exchanged securely in a layered encryption network between a headquarters and a deployed platform in a contested environment, enabling rapid and better-informed decision-making on the battlefield without the use of physical inline encryptors.
'The demonstration follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore how our capabilities in mission systems, systems integration, digital engineering and through-life support can be combined with Arqit’s expertise in cyber security, cryptographic technologies and secure networking.
'As a systems integration and secure communications expert, we bring together best-in-class technologies to create secure end-to-end communications networks across a variety of Internet Protocol (IP) bearers, including 4G/5G, Wi-Fi and satcom, alongside legacy tactical and new MANET radios. The resulting network can be integrated across a wide range of crewed and uncrewed land, maritime and air platforms.
'The demonstration also showcased the role of Babcock’s GDAMS within a digitally connected battlefield. Based on the proven ST Engineering mortar design, GDAMS combines mobile, network-enabled firepower with digital integration, enabling faster target engagement'.
Louise Atkinson, Chief Executive, Babcock’s Land and Mission Systems business, said:
“Armed forces need confidence their critical data can be transmitted quickly, reliably and securely, keeping sensitive information protected at all times.
“As technology evolves, so do cyber threats, and the emergence of quantum computing will challenge many of today’s encryption methods. We’ve demonstrated how we can integrate best-in-class technologies to create resilient and secure communications networks that help protect operational data against future quantum-enabled threats.”
Paul Feenan, Arqit General Manager for Government & Defence, added:
“Modern operations require assured secure networks capable of working across multiple communication bearers. Arqit’s software-defined encryption, partnered with Babcock’s state of the art Advanced Layered System Architecture, can be deployed across networks from core to edge, enabling customers to keep intelligence and battlefield data secure against current and future threats.”
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