The Brazilian Navy has entered discussions to acquire HMS Bulwark, an Albion-class landing platform dock (LPD) from the British Royal Navy, according to Brazilian defence news website Podero Naval.
At this stage, however, the Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the accuracy of these claims.
When approached for comment, a spokesperson referred to a recent parliamentary question response from the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, which stated:
“As yet, no further decisions have been made regarding disposal plans for HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark, RFA Wave Knight, and RFA Wave Ruler. As with all decommissioned ships, a full suite of options is being assessed to ensure that the disposal achieves value for money and is policy compliant (safety, environmental and security).”
HMS Bulwark, launched in 2001, is the second vessel in the Albion class. The ship has a displacement of 18,500 tonnes, a length of 176 metres, and a beam of 25.6 metres, with a maximum speed of 18 knots.
Designed for amphibious operations, Bulwark can transport up to 305 marines (or a maximum of 405), six tanks, or 30 light armoured vehicles. The floodable dock at the stern can accommodate four landing craft capable of carrying one tank each, while two side-mounted vessels can each carry 35 soldiers. The ship is also equipped to operate helicopters up to Chinook size, enhancing its versatility in amphibious operations.
This development, if confirmed, would follow the Royal Navy’s decision to decommission HMS Bulwark and her sister ship, HMS Albion, as part of a transition to the Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) programme. The MRSS is intended to replace the Royal Navy’s amphibious fleet and ensure continuity of capabilities, with the first vessel expected to enter service by 2033.
The potential acquisition would align with Brazil’s ongoing efforts to modernise its naval capabilities, particularly in amphibious operations. If negotiations are indeed underway and prove successful, Bulwark would join the Brazilian Navy’s fleet as a significant addition to its amphibious and expeditionary assets, alongside the former HMS Ocean. However, the specifics of these reported negotiations remain unconfirmed.
As the story was first reported in Brazil and has since gained traction internationally, it remains essential to note that the claims are based on external reporting. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Bulwark will fit well with Brazils LPH. I wonder if we could have this sort of capacity? Silly idea really!
Better than Argentina buying the ship and Brazil has a history of buying surplus RN ships
Give it to Argentina
Had crossed my mind when reading this that Brazil could resell to Argentina and again our own ships be used against us. Repeat of Argentina testing their tactics against the frigate they brought. But seems unlikely as it would mean Brazil would cut themselves off from cheap kit going forward.
Wow they don’t waste any time do they? If the Brazilians want Bulwark it must be in a much better state than the MoD wants us to believe. More bullshit from the 67,000 MoD civil sevants
After the forthcoming SDR Army cuts (another 10,000 troops has been leaked) there will be more Mod civil servants than soldiers. Words fail me
Wow you really have some hatred for CS. I hate to brake it to you and all the telegraph readers but we’re not the ones that makes these decisions, its senior officers that do.
Is it senior officers who get to allocate their budget from the govt or is it the CS (treasury) telling them how much they get?
Then they have to make the difficult decisions!
No they don’t. The decision on who gets what is going to be annonced in the Srategic Defence Cuts Review sometime. Then the senior officers will have to make do as best they can.
Understandably. They are less efficient then they were in 1996 yet keep getting more and more cash. The MOD needs about 10,000 people max. That would free up about £5bn quid to spend on some stuff we actually need – whether its armed forces or some Nurses.
Why 10,000 and do you actually know what CS do?
Bugger all mostly
I doubt they do, mate.
Such as Che, who will now tell the site all about the HOCS, DNO, DES, DLO, DSTL, and all the rest that apparently do “bugger all”
These posters are clueless at how defence works, don’t rise to it.
Over 200 million was spent refitting her last year.
Could not agree more. In my time we had many visits from CS all from MOD. Various grades and groups for various spurious reasons. Talk about a wet weekend in Skegness. They had no idea or concept of what we did. In Norway they had to be molly coddled like pre schoolers. Not fit for purpose. Here is a way to solve the problem if MOD civil servants. As part of the job they should be required to be Reservists. With skin in the game you would see a difference. Probably a lot of them jumping ship at first mention.
Not nessessarily in better state. Brazil might just have the budget to do the expensive refit that was planned but decided against. I’m sure behind closed door discussions have been happening for years and this isn’t the case of Brazil jumping on things quickly.
Seems like a good strategy for Brazil: Wait for the UK to dispose of serviceable hardware with plenty if life left and buy it for a song. Similar thing happened with the C130Js but to different buyers.
Question for Klonkie, do you reckon NZ might be interested in the Albion or is it way too big for NZ ops? Could be a bargain…while stock lasts! Or maybe India, Indonesia, Philippines? And a Merry Christmas to you in NZ! My NZ-bro has moved back to the UK now so no more trips over the ditch.
It’s probably a bit too much ship for New Zealand, it displaces more than every other combat vessel in the RNZN combined. If we can’t crew it, they definitely can’t.
The Brazilians have a very capable ship repair and maintenance facility so they can undertake the kind of work that would be totally uneconomic with UK labour rates.
Maybe there is a lesson to be learnt here.
Or just the budget to do it. Who knows the refit might happen in the uk, although I doubt it.
This is a ship that should not be sold, it’s a really profound cut in capabilities. If crewing is really that bad at present.9 million pounds a year to keep it in extended readiness is a bargain , that is nothing money. But in reality the RN should be keeping its expertise in amphibious warfare, it’s not going to be able to regenerate that easily after an 8 year gap, and whatever anyone says to spin it the RFAs auxiliary logistic land ships are not a true amphibious capability.
It does look as though their deletion is just another money saving exercise. But I wonder if there isn’t more to it. The head of the RM has said that beach assault from close to shore is now too dangerous in an era of PGMs and drones. That’s the key role of the Albions with the Bays following on. But if that is the rationale behind the cut, it is surprising that the replacement MRSS is still in the design stage. Logically, it should have bigger aviation facilities to support airborne insertion from longer,safer range. To date, no indication whether this is a feature of the new vessel. We know that the attempt to work with the Dutch on a common design ended because the RN wish was for something larger. But if the future of the RM is smaller scale raiding, does that make sense? If stealthier insertion perhaps by air is the future, do we need a vessel designed to carry MBTs and other heavy kit to shore?
The aim is to replace 3 different types with one. Axing the Albions rather than the Bays suggest that the future design will be more like the latter. But can a single design provide all the capabilities required? Perhaps this is why it is taking so long to finalize a design.
Peter, the LCU’s have a longer range than the Merlin helicopter, which are noisy and vulnerable to small arms and shoulder launched RPGs and missiles.
I am afraid the leadership of the Navy wants two active carriers at the expense of the U.K.’s amphibious capability, which was not the plan and a worthwhile PM would either ideally find the money to do both or maintain one active carrier and one LPD as originally proposed.
We no longer have a true blue water, all aspects fleet but a distorted mess. We are not coming back from this and the rest of the armed forces are suffering the same death by a thousand cuts.
However, I am confident the Red Arrows are safe and the 700+ horses of the Household Division. Nothing like keeping up appearances.
The first America class LHD was built without a well deck to maximize storage of rotorcraft. Later vessels reverted to a well deck at the expense of airlift. So the much larger USMC is struggling with redefining its fighting methods too. Insertion by tiltrotor or Chinook is never going to be quiet. But it is much quicker than an LCU. From 50 miles out an LCU would take 5+ hours to reach shore, a Chinook 15 minutes.
If the future of the RMs is small scale raiding, it is hard to see why we would need up to 6 large MRSS.
Totally agree about the carriers, the commitment to which has hollowed out the rest of the navy.
I agree totally but you have to remember FCF was in itself a falsehood born out of desire to save money by dismantling 3 Commando Brigade.
The nature of warfare changes, which is no surprise but you don’t abandon Ops because your methods are outdated you modernise them but there is no money to do so.
Post war British amphibious doctrine has been to avoid full frontal beach assault so those that talk about undertaking D-Day style Ops are deliberately misleading because the Ops in Norway for example were never based on that doctrine but one of manoeuvre and support.
The design of MRSS will be interesting but the need to land heavy armour is likely to remain because as an island that’s how we might need to reinforce our NATO allies. The idea that we could unload equipment at fixed ports without interference is laughable given modern precision weapons and there is exposed the falsehood that amphibious shipping is now somehow especially vulnerable when we are quite prepared to send Point Class vessels across the North Sea to a designated location to offload equipment.
Amphibious warfare requires local control of the air, below and surface water domains along with the element of surprise so the principals have not changed but the methods and tools required must.
On a much larger scale that is what the UMSC are currently grappling with whilst we it seems are at the same time trying to work out what our own amphibious requirements will be. I tend to agree that one class of vessel might not be the right way forward.
The USMC have for a very long time now gone down the road of LCAC and armoured vehicles that swim. At present transitioning to a modern type.
Jonathan I agree, 9m from a 56b defence budget can’t even be described as pocket change or even a rounding error its that insignificant for such a loss.
And the government said Bulwark coming to the end of service life .Like we on here really believe them .(Rubbish) 👎
In 2005/2006 we sold off 3 type 23s to Chile …. nearly 20 years later we are screaming about the lack of available/serviceable escorts.
So we sell these LPD ships off then we have to wait until 2033 to get replacements ? there is no joined-up thinking in the MOD.
MOD just don’t think as that would be against current policy as there is certainly a lack of active brain cells there. Still they are OK in their cosy warm offices doing not a lot but playing games with real service personnels lives. Still no matter soon we will not need any MOD as the invasion will have been completed and the blind British Public cant see that the fools at the top are letting it happen. Failing in their Primary Duty of defending the British People and the way of life so many gave their lives for………….
Are the Wave class vessels on the books to be sold to Brazil?
Brasil will have acquired HMS Ocean and HMS Bulwark a pretty good amphibious capability almost as if they were built to operate together….
Ridiculous….
Another bargain for a foreign navy, the one we seem good at is kitting out some else’s navy with assets we badly need ourselves for bargain basement prices on the pretext they are worn out…….but the reality is they arn’t. and will continue to give sterling service provided they are properly maintained , which of course begs another question…….why is we don’t maintain them in the same manner? Examples are Hermes and Ocean. Hermes spent more time in the Indian navy than she did RN and Ocean is still going strong!!
Not long until Brazil has a better navy than us.
Brazil navy is mainly for show, whilst ours is for usage. I suspect they can juice out for life in old vessels thanks to them mainly spending their time in docks.
Sure but we’re not exactly rocking top quality ships either
It’s odd how this isn’t a sunset capability for everyone, except for the RN.