British Babcock Signs MoU With Propulsion Specialist Everllence to Power Arrowhead 140 Frigates

Babcock International has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Everllence, the marine propulsion group formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions, that would make Everllence its strategic partner for power and propulsion systems across Arrowhead 140 frigate programs. The agreement was signed at the Euronaval exhibition in Paris and announced on November 5, 2026.

The deal is aimed squarely at Copenhagen. Babcock is pitching the Arrowhead 140 for the Royal Danish Navy’s future air defense frigate requirement, and the design’s Danish lineage sits at the center of that offer: it derives from the Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates and is already in production for the Royal Navy’s five Type 31 Inspiration-class ships at Rosyth, for Poland’s three Miecznik frigates and for Indonesia. Everllence, renamed on June 4, 2025, is a Volkswagen Group subsidiary headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, but operates major engineering and production sites in Copenhagen and Frederikshavn, which Babcock is positioning as Danish industrial content.

From Propellers to System Responsibility on Arrowhead 140 Frigates

Under the MoU, the two companies will examine Everllence assuming propulsion system responsibility for future Arrowhead programs, develop next-generation power and propulsion architectures for new variants and export campaigns, and assess through-life support models combining UK and Danish industrial capability. No contract value, workshare split or timeline has been disclosed, and the MoU is not a binding procurement commitment.

Everllence is not new to the platform. In April 2020, as MAN Energy Solutions, it won the contract to supply MAN Alpha VBS Mk 5 controllable-pitch propeller systems for all five Type 31 frigates, designed and built at Frederikshavn and rated above 16,000 kW per shaftline. The prime movers come from a competitor: the Arrowhead 140 baseline uses a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) plant built around four MTU 20V 8000 engines from Rolls-Royce Power Systems. On the Miecznik variant, each engine delivers 8,200 kW, two per shaft, backed by four MTU 12V 4000 generator sets rated at 1,650 kW each. Rolls-Royce credits the Polish configuration with a range of around 8,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots.

System responsibility would move Everllence from component supplier to integrator of the full drivetrain. The MoU does not state whether Everllence engines would displace the MTU plant on future variants, but the company’s signatories in Paris included Benjamin Andres, head of its medium- and high-speed four-stroke marine business, alongside Lene Kragh, head of its propeller business. Thomas Leander, who manages the Frederikshavn site, described Arrowhead 140 as “the starting point for our discussions.”

Denmark’s Air Defense Frigate Competition and the Hybrid Navy Pitch

Denmark intends to replace its Iver Huitfeldt-class air defense frigates, with three to four new ships reported under consideration. A selection had been expected in late 2026 or early 2027, but a snap general election in March 2026 stalled the process. Copenhagen has yet to fix ship numbers or secure funding, and a supplier decision now appears likely in 2027. Reported contenders include Naval Group’s FDI, Navantia’s F110 and Rheinmetall Naval Systems.

Babcock has spent 2026 assembling a Danish industrial coalition. In August, it signed a letter of collaboration with Danske Flådeskibe (DFS), a consortium of OMT, Terma, PensionDanmark and Semco Maritime, alongside MoUs with Stormborn, SH Group and Cubedin. Babcock frames the package as a Hybrid Navy offer built on sovereign Danish industrial capacity.

Analysis: The MoU is first an industrial-participation lever. In a Danish competition where domestic workshare and sovereign sustainment weigh as heavily as combat capability, anchoring the propulsion train and its long-term support in Frederikshavn adds measurable Danish content to a bid whose hull is already Danish. The trade-off is risk: re-engining a mature design means new integration and qualification work, which cuts against the low-risk, in-production argument that has carried Arrowhead 140 to three customers.

The next markers are whether the MoU matures into a binding agreement before Denmark’s frigate decision, and how far Everllence’s role extends into engine supply. Elsewhere, Poland’s lead Miecznik frigate, ORP Wicher, floated off on August 13, 2026, and is planned to enter service in 2029, while Babcock has reportedly pitched Arrowhead 140 to the US Navy as an alternative design for its FF(X) frigate program.