Advancing Naval Capabilities: Serco’s Expertise in Design, Engineering, and Sustainment
We deliver integrated solutions in ship design, C5ISR modernization, AI-driven engineering, lifecycle support, and global installation services to meet the evolving demands of maritime defense.
The Environment/Challenge
The pace of technological advancement and the complexity of today's global threat environment demand that defense organizations continuously modernize their naval assets. Adversaries are rapidly evolving, leveraging new technologies and unconventional tactics that challenge traditional maritime superiority. In this dynamic landscape, maintaining fleet readiness and operational advantage requires more than incremental upgrades—it calls for the seamless integration of advanced weapons systems, resilient cyber defenses, and intelligent automation across every platform.
How We Help (Our Solution)
AI, Machine Learning & Digital Engineering
We leverage advanced AI and machine learning technologies throughout the maritime lifecycle to address the urgent need for faster innovation and greater operational resilience in today’s rapidly evolving threat environment. By integrating AI-powered design tools, we accelerate ship design cycles and enable the modeling of interactions between hundreds of discrete systems, supporting smarter, more efficient vessel development. Predictive analytics are used to reduce failures and optimize maintenance, sparing, and logistics, ensuring that naval assets remain mission-ready and cost-effective.
Embracing a digital engineering framework, we help clients evaluate design tradeoffs, promote open architecture and collaboration, and facilitate future upgrades and modifications at lower cost. The creation of system-of-systems (SoS) architectures—integrating C5I and hull, mechanical, and electrical models—enables the development of platform-level digital twins. These digital twins, enhanced by model-based systems engineering (MBSE), allow for immersive “fly-thru” reviews of vessel designs and systems layouts, helping clients predict the mission and cost impact of design changes and communicate efficiently with vendors.
C5ISR, Weapons Systems & Cyber-Hardening
We deliver comprehensive modernization of afloat C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and weapons systems across a wide range of naval platforms—including aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, and foreign military assets. This modernization ensures that naval forces are equipped with the latest mission-critical technologies, enabling superior situational awareness, decision-making, and combat effectiveness in a rapidly evolving global threat environment.
To address the increasing complexity and sophistication of cyber threats, we rigorously review and implement government cyber-hardening requirements, ensuring that all systems are protected against emerging vulnerabilities. This proactive approach to cybersecurity safeguards critical assets and maintains operational integrity, even as adversaries adapt and deploy new tactics.
Fleet Readiness & Lifecycle Support
Our Fleet Readiness & Lifecycle Support capability is designed to address one of the Navy’s most critical challenges: maintaining the operational availability of a large and aging fleet while ensuring the ability to project naval power globally. Through scheduled maintenance, modernization, and comprehensive lifecycle support, we help keep all critical systems operational and ensure that ships remain at sea and mission-ready. This capability directly supports the challenge by providing proactive and reliable maintenance and modernization services, minimizing downtime, and extending the service life of vital naval assets.
Hull, Mechanical, Electrical (HM&E) Upgrades & Repairs
We deliver comprehensive installation, upgrades, and technical services for hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) systems across naval platforms. By deploying advanced technologies and engineering solutions, we enhance ship availability, reliability, and mission readiness while reducing maintenance workload and operational disruptions. These upgrades and repairs ensure that critical machinery systems and components remain robust and efficient, directly supporting the challenge of keeping naval assets operational and responsive in the face of evolving threats and demanding mission requirements.
Ship Design, Naval Architecture & High-Speed Vessel Development
We provide full-spectrum ship design and naval architecture services, supporting clients from initial feasibility studies and concept development through detail design, manufacturing, and lifecycle support. Drawing on decades of experience, our naval architects have delivered some of the world’s most advanced military and research vessels, collaborating closely with clients to define performance requirements and create innovative ship concepts. This process includes hull form design, hydrostatics, stability analysis, model testing, and production cost estimates, ensuring each vessel meets rigorous operational standards.
To address the challenge of rapidly evolving threats and technological demands, we extend the life of legacy platforms by integrating advanced weapons and communications systems. The team leverages additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping to create intricate ship components and models, enabling quick design iterations and cost-effective visualization of changes. This accelerates development and supports the delivery of cutting-edge maritime solutions.
Our expertise spans high-speed vessel design as well as leadership in green ship technologies such as hybrid electric drives and alternative fuels. Full-service engineering covers all disciplines, from electrical engineering and survivability to shock design and integrated electric propulsion. We also lead in designing and fabricating personnel accommodation modules, having achieved ABS Container PAM certification for living and working spaces aboard ships and marine structures.
Shipyard Installation, Integration & Production
We deliver comprehensive shipyard services that encompass fabrication, equipment installation and removal, integration of complex systems, production supervision, and onsite construction management at both Naval and private shipyards. Our teams oversee every aspect of ship modernization, from pre-installation and checkout to cable and equipment alignment, technical services, repair, testing, and ongoing maintenance. Once a ship is designed, we ensure that all systems—mechanical, electrical, weapons, and communications—are integrated seamlessly, developing detailed construction and installation drawings, conducting land-based testing, and providing engineering support throughout the process.
Planning Yard & Program Management
We provide expert support for advanced planning and program management across the entire lifecycle of naval vessels. Working closely with the Planning Yard, we minimize maintenance requirements and downtime, reduce costs, and proactively address fleet issues as they arise. Our team delivers detailed designs and engineering for ship alterations, ensuring seamless integration, installation, and testing of new systems and upgrades.
Comprehensive program management services span scheduling, engineering, logistics, cost reviews, shipyard management, weapons systems installations, upgrades, decommissioning, and support for inactive ships. This holistic approach enables clients to maintain operational readiness and adapt quickly to evolving mission priorities and technological advancements.
Professional & Administrative Support Services
We deliver wide-ranging professional and administrative support to naval modernization programs, providing technical assistance, programming, budgeting, database and record management, briefing development, manning, training, and correspondence support. These services ensure that complex modernization efforts are efficiently coordinated, resourced, and documented, enabling seamless communication and collaboration across teams and stakeholders.
Records Management, IT & Software Development
We provide robust records management and IT solutions to support ship maintenance and modernization, ensuring the accurate tracking of thousands of technical drawings, specifications, and information systems throughout a vessel’s lifecycle. By efficiently managing records and coordinating complex modernization projects, we enable seamless communication among shipyards, contractors, and vendors, which is essential for timely upgrades and modifications.
In addition, our software development expertise spans the entire project lifecycle—from concept to completion—including programming, scalable architecture design, algorithm implementation, testing, and code quality assurance. The team develops advanced software solutions for ship controls, machinery, and autonomy packages, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance predictability, operational efficiency, and system integration.
Communications, Signal Processing & Topside Design
We install and support advanced communications, signal processing, control, and monitoring systems for naval platforms, ensuring seamless connectivity and mission system performance. Our services include installation engineering, equipment design and testing, logistics, onsite installation support, ship installation kits, cost estimates, documentation, and technical manuals. Our approach to topside design emphasizes electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), EMI/RADHAZ compliance, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) protection, safeguarding personnel, ordnance, and fuel from hazardous electromagnetic radiation.
Why Serco
We deliver comprehensive design and engineering services to advance next-generation capabilities and sustain core weapons systems across surface ships, submarines, amphibious platforms, aircraft, ground vehicles, and unmanned systems. As a proven partner for large-scale, complex modernization programs, we integrate design and installation expertise to support strategic platforms at sea, on land, in the air, and in space. Our subject matter experts work side-by-side with government counterparts, providing integrated engineering support for the most advanced weapons and C5I systems, and applying decades of experience and intelligent automation to redefine the future of naval warfare.
By combining advanced design methods, rapid prototyping, and deep engineering expertise, we optimize every mission-critical system and component—from propulsion and stability to hydrodynamic performance and survivability. Our leadership in AI, advanced analytics, and digital engineering enables the design of unmanned, autonomous vessels and enhances the sustainability and combat effectiveness of naval platforms. Through proactive modernization, robust cyber defenses, and rigorous program management, we ensure that upgrades and new technologies are implemented efficiently, maintaining operational readiness and resilience in the face of evolving threats.
Our expertise is evident in its enduring role across every major U.S. Navy ship program over the past few decades, as well as its contributions to international shipbuilding initiatives spanning naval, research, and civilian vessels. In Canada, we are uniquely positioned to support the National Shipbuilding Strategy, providing design and engineering services to the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, and other maritime customers. Our work spans all ship classes—including surface ships, craft, aircraft carriers, and submarines—and we are recognized leaders in applying AI and advanced analytics to design unmanned, autonomous vessels and enhance the sustainability and combat effectiveness of naval platforms.
Our engineers and naval design experts drive innovation in unmanned surface and underwater capabilities, leveraging advanced AI to help the Navy maintain force superiority. Our support extends to major U.S. Navy programs such as DDG(X), FFG 62, DDG 1000, LCS, DDG 51, PMS 317, and PMS 377, and our Advanced Platform Engineering Team has pioneered concepts for DARPA's "No Manning Required Ship" (NOMARS) Program. Beyond naval platforms, we deliver prototyping, engineering, and acquisition support for the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, and provide system engineering and cyber services for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle—the next-generation replacement for the Humvee. Internationally, we play a key role in developing Canada’s Joint Support Ship, Halifax Class Patrol Frigates, Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels, and fully electric green ferries, supporting allied maritime programs worldwide.
Our impact is further demonstrated through significant ship alterations and modernization efforts, including AEGIS Baseline 10, SLQ-32(v7) Electronic Warfare System, High Efficiency Ship Cooling (HESC), Automated Digital Network System (ADNS), Close-in Weapons System (CIWS), Common Submarine Radio Room (CSRR), CANES, Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT), and Ship's Signals Exploitation Equipment (SSEE). Under the Sea Enterprise II Global Support contract, we provide C5ISR installation services for all afloat and supporting systems worldwide. Our expertise also supports the Air Force’s B-52 H bomber modernization, F-35 stealth fighter upgrades, and rapid-response acquisition for the Air Force Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Office.