Responding to a parliamentary question from Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, on the operational status of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that “as of 31 October 2024, two Type 45 destroyers were immediately available, or deployed.”
Rosindell’s question specifically asked “how many Type 45 destroyers are (a) operationally available and (b) capable of being deployed simultaneously.”
Pollard clarified that while two are currently available, each ship’s “normal operating cycle” requires regular adjustments to readiness levels.
These levels depend on “their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements,” which are essential to ensuring that the Royal Navy can meet both immediate and long-term operational commitments.
Pollard further explained that this carefully managed cycle enables the Navy to sustain “concurrent operational outputs” across UK and international waters while accommodating maintenance needs and programme upgrades. This approach, he noted, is designed to meet “changing defence demands in an uncertain world.”
The minister also highlighted the government’s focus on enhancing fleet readiness, stating that “options to improve the readiness and availability of the Royal Navy Surface Fleet form a key part of the ongoing Strategic Defence Review.” The review will explore avenues to boost the availability of assets like the Type 45 destroyers.
In context
The class are undergoing an effort to deal with previous reliability issues. Known as PIP, the Power Improvement Project, addresses the resilience of the engines and power generation driving the many hi-tech sensors, systems and weapons on board the destroyers. To make the necessary upgrades, the two original diesel engines were removed and replaced with three more reliable, more powerful, cleaner generators.
Recent trends in the fleet show a positive shift towards increased operational availability.
Earlier in the year, we reported that a lower percentage of these ships were active or immediately deployable, with the majority undergoing maintenance or refit. However, recent data indicates a marked improvement, with more ships transitioning from maintenance to active status.
The Royal Navy has managed to enhance the availability of the fleet despite the reduction in total numbers. This trend suggests a strategic shift in the Royal Navy’s approach to fleet readiness and operational capacity. By improving the availability of its remaining vessels, the Royal Navy has increased its ability to respond to operational demands.
The data, in summary, indicates a focus on maximising the utility of the existing fleet, ensuring that a more significant percentage of ships are prepared for immediate deployment when needed.
Type 45
The Royal Navy says that the Daring class consists of six Type 45 destroyers (HMS Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender, and Duncan) that were purposely built for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare.
The destroyers all feature a ‘clean’ exterior superstructure thanks to their deck equipment and life rafts being concealed behind panels. The ships are fitted with a Fully Integrated Communications System (FICS45), which provides voice, intercom, data links, and conference calls – both internally and externally. This comms suite also includes a Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) system for total awareness of the ship’s surroundings.
The Sea Viper missile system can target and destroy multiple targets simultaneously. Designed to protect both land and sea forces from aircraft attacks and defend the naval fleet against supersonic anti-ship missiles, Sea Viper is the principal weapon system of the Daring Class of destroyers. Comprising of long-range and missile-directing radars, a combat control centre and vertical missile silos, Sea Viper can launch eight missiles in under ten seconds and guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously.
The RN should attempt to make every ship at it’s disposal ready ASAP. I’m thinking the T45s could be sorted in a couple of years and further progress on the T23 needs to happen. Let’s get the T26 and T31s rolling as quick as possible and provide additional build capacity. The world is going to h**l in a hand cart. We should be as prepared as possible.
There is always going to be a certain percentage in repair or refit, so all available will never happen.
However, it does highlight that we don’t have enough escorts to protect the carriers, let alone do anything else. In a war situation the carriers would need at least 2 destroyers and 4 frigates to escorts each, and that would be dangerously low.
Our T45s are going through PIP plus having several extra bits done whilst they are at it. This should conclude in two or three years when we should be in a far better position.
I like your optimism, but the history of the destroyers have been back in for maintaince /upgrades almost immediately after the last was done, so who knows what they will do next.
The PIP Upgrades are taking much longer than was originally envisaged i can’t see them all complete and back in service before 2030 at the earliest,plus the Sea Ceptor Upgrade,whilst less complicated is still an unknown regarding timelines.When HMS Defender has completed her Upgrades we will get a clearer picture.
We all know we should have built eight of these ships. That would have meant today we would field at least four Type 45s at any given point, or we would hope we could. Penny-pinching with vital defence programmes is unforgivable. However, Mr Trump (if the threats are to be believed) could now make Europe, including the UK, dig very deep into their budgets and stem penny-pinching as the USA begins to reduce its footprint in the region.
If we had 8 instead of 6 we would have 33% more, which means 2.66 available not 4. We would have needed 12, which was the original requirement.
We are where we are – no point in regretting past decisions.
T actions will be interesting going forward. He no longer needs to impress his fan base – he can do very much as he wishes. We just see what happens although preparing for the worst seems like a plan.
Shocking Ships and just don’t work as they should, so little used could be around for many years more without replacement once they sort out the power issues. We need a return on their cost before ever thinking of replacing them. More T26’s and T31’s needed to bring the numbers up to acceptable levels before they get replaced.
They are hardly shocking. Apart from the power issues they work exactly as designed and are world class.
i remember reading somewhere that the hull decay on the albion ships was increased due to them being in mothball and not reduced. So I don’t think we have gained years, just lost capability.
Personally I think they are excellent ships. I am not sure that as ships necessarily become more and more complex you are not going to inevitably get problems.
The weapons system is excellent when its working but they had next to no offensive capability and still awaiting the NSM to be fitted to give them a limited punch. The power train was a disaster and so much wasted space inboard, Even the Accom was not really an improvement compared to earlier classes. Dont forget they have next to no ASW capability even compared to the old T42’s which could not only find the sub’s but kill them too. So over all the T45’s have not been value for money and are certainly NOT excellent ships even though some… Read more »
Type 45’s have carried Harpoon when needed so they were not totally devoid of offensive Capability.
Typical British build quality.
Hopefully they’ll learn a lesson if the type 83 still goes on and build more than six
The biggest problem by far for the RN is it’s lack of manpower, it doesn’t matter how many ships it’s building or are available right now, it doesn’t have the people to crew the ships it has operational now, never mind in the future, nor can it support the ones on active deployment as its logistics arm the civilian manned RFA is currently on strike, due to 15years of effective pay cuts
Slightly OT but HMS Dragon is getting closer to a return to Sea, and she has had NSM Frames fitted so she will be the 1st T45 to have them,
Pathetic. So the RN has 2 destroyers and 6 frigates available, in total, worldwide. The operational requirement the UK CSG alone is for 2 destroyers and 2 frigates. Then take out TAPS and the forward deployed frigate and we have two left for everything else – FRE, Red Sea, Standing NATO Maritime Groups, FOST, LRG escort, … gaps everywhere. Back in 2005 it was claimed by the government that only 8 T45’s (not the originally planned 12) were actually needed to replace 12 T42s as they would have far higher levels of availability and serviceability. The Key User Requirement was… Read more »
The original availability estimates obviously couldn’t take into account the issues with the Propulsion Set -up,no one imagined they would need serious ( and costly ) rectification work.