BMT Defence Services, a subsidiary of BMT Group, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced that two of its naval experts have secured prominent roles within the Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC) aircraft carrier project.
As part of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) platform design team, Rob Weedon has assumed the role of chief naval architect and will be responsible for general arrangement (GA), hydromechanics, shock, escape and transversal areas including whole-ship safety. A chartered engineer (CEng) and member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (MRINA), Rob has worked on ship design aspects of the QEC project since 2001.
Martin Hails who joined BMT in 1995 and has played an instrumental role in a variety of submarine and surface ship programmes, including previous roles on the QEC project, has accepted the position of chief systems engineer. A chartered engineer and fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE), this role will see Martin take charge of aviation, fire safety, auxiliaries, outfit and furnishings, as well as mechanical systems.
Roy Quilliam, technical director at BMT Defence Services, comments: “As this project moves further into detail design and manufacture, there is an increasing need for deeper levels of technical understanding within the ACA platform design team.
“BMT is committed to supporting Thales UK in its role as an Alliance member and I am delighted that we are able to provide two highly experienced and competent specialists to fill these roles, reinforcing the strong calibre of people we have within the business. We’re confident that their deployment will be to the benefit of BMT, our partners and the overall programme moving forward.”