The Type 26 Global Combat Ship Programme retains its Amber Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) according to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Annual Report 2023-24.
Despite challenges, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to delivering eight Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates by May 2035 to replace the ageing Type 23 fleet.
The Type 26 frigates are designed to operate globally, providing interoperable and adaptable capabilities that enhance maritime force projection and protect strategic assets.
The programme’s strategic goals also include sustaining the UK’s shipbuilding industry and enhancing the resilience of the Naval Service.
Key Challenges
The programme has faced delays and pressures stemming from several factors:
- Engineering and Supply Chain Issues: The report highlights delays caused by the volume of outstanding engineering design and challenges within the supply chain.
- The residual effects of COVID-19 slowdowns have also contributed to a re-baseline of the schedule for Initial Operating Capability.
Despite these setbacks, the Amber rating indicates that while significant risks remain, successful delivery is achievable with sustained management attention and mitigation efforts.
Importantly, programme quality has not been compromised, with the Type 26 frigates set to become world-class ships upon delivery. The project’s budget variance remains under 5%, reflecting stable financial management.
The Whole Life Cost (WLC) and monetised benefits remain undisclosed due to commercial sensitivities, but the programme’s end-date of May 2035 remains unchanged, signalling adherence to long-term timelines despite short-term challenges.
Broader significance
As a key part of the UK’s defence strategy, the Type 26 programme contributes to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, which aims to revitalise the UK’s shipbuilding sector and secure thousands of jobs.
The ships will also play a crucial role in maintaining the UK’s Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD) and ensuring the Royal Navy can meet evolving threats in a changing geopolitical landscape.
The Type 26 Global Combat Ship Programme faces challenges typical of complex defence projects, yet it remains on track to deliver significant capability upgrades to the Royal Navy.
Understanding Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) Ratings
The Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) ratings provide an evaluation of the likelihood of a project meeting its objectives in terms of time, cost, and scope. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority uses these ratings to identify challenges and provide recommendations for improvement. The ratings are categorized as follows:
- Green: A Green rating indicates that the project is on track to deliver successfully, with minimal risks identified. Any issues are well understood and manageable within the existing plans.
- Amber: An Amber rating signifies that while successful delivery is feasible, there are significant issues that require focused management attention. These challenges could pose risks to the project’s timeline, budget, or objectives if not addressed effectively.
- Red: A Red rating reflects serious concerns about the project’s ability to meet its objectives. Immediate corrective action is needed to address fundamental issues, as the project is unlikely to succeed without significant changes or interventions.
These ratings offer a snapshot of project performance and help ensure that potential issues are identified and mitigated early, improving the likelihood of successful delivery.
I’m really not sure of the value of these assessments. The projects are contracted with delivery dates agreed and prices finalized. An amber rating seems to mean no more than “difficult but do-able”
Seems to sniff a little of the much criticised school assessments, they they risk giving unnuanced takes on complex projects if not careful certainly to outsiders and most I fear politicians But better than allowing things to drag on without proper assessment so can only hope they are in reality more sophisticated than the ‘headline’ traffic lights might suggest and are disseminated as such.
They rate every project amber and red until it’s finished. It’s a nonsense system to generate headlines.
Considering they are being built at a snails pace, its bizarre for them not to have a green rating.
Precisely.
Also no comment on obsolescence of such a long build up.
The amber is more a reflection of the acute skills and labour shortages in the supply chain.
Unfortunately the revolving door is a big problem with people leaving all the time to do something else. People don’t value well paid long term work like they used to.
Don’t value engineering jobs generally sadly, again a reflection of changing attitudes not un encouraged by Govt over decades where technical subjects have been suppressed for the likes of humanities where and where engineering is seen as little better than blue collar jobs, while being an influencer is seen as the ultimate route to becoming an entrepreneur or worse still Elon Musk. In Japan engineering and technology is seen as top of the pyramid by contrast. Another self inflicted wound.
It’s almost like the amber rating is a great thing FFS
So last to be delivered by 2035..I know the spin has been around a fast build, but if the project is Amber flagged and due for last delivery by 2035 then the last Type 26 will not be operational until 2036/7…. Basically the RN surface fleet is still 11 years a way from renewable to the pathetic 2010 baseline of 19 escorts.
To be honest the major surface combatant procurement for the RN has been a disaster from start to finish since around 2005.
It’s shameful nothing more nothing less.
The surface fleet has not had sufficient escorts ordered to maintain strength at any level, certainly since the end of the Cold War, but as far as I can tell not since the end of WW2 either… In short, the escort fleet and indeed the entire fleet has be run down continuously since about late 1944 (they started to lay up older hard worked battleships in 1944, once the Tripitz and Scharnhorst were dealt with. Sailors were transferred to the Army as the Army was struggling with a shortage of recruits as the invasion of Germany loomed..!).
There has been a ‘can’t do’ attitude in certain key quarters of the British establishment for decades. Instead we should focus on our national potential rather than what once was and our potential is still considerable. We have a top 10 global economy and 65 to 70 million people which puts us at about the 20th largest country by population, if I remember rightly. We also have a history of innovation and entrepreneurship that still survive today despite economic and fiscal mismanagement. The National Ship Building Strategy is a good start but needs to be properly funded over the long term, entirely doable given some political back bone – which is where the issues start!
All very frustrating. I’ve watched the RN in particular since I was a kid and wondered why the politicians kept cutting and cutting given the threats – 5 decades of frustration. Sad thing is the T26 and T31 programs will deliver the first expansion of the escort fleet in my lifetime! From what is it now 16 or 17 escorts to 19?
Cheers CR
What is really scary is that not one of the T23s have survived beyond 6-7 years after their lifex . Which essentially means we are most likely losing 1-2 every year until 2030 when they will have all gone.. essentially by the time we get to 2027 we will probably be down to 6 T23s So even if they get the T26 B1s and T31s out on time we are going to scrap along on around 12-13 escorts for a few years and have a number of years when the RN will only have 3 ASW escorts.. it’s really shameful and if war comes between 2027 and 2030 a profound risk will have been realised.
Having read the experience of I believe HMS Somerset since her LIFEX on Navy Lookout I am not surprised. This ship has had more trouble after it than before, some directly from shoddy work including basic painting work and hasn’t yet even been able to complete virtually any of her re- integration work to become an active fleet asset. All she has done is manage 2 or 3 port visits between dry dock excursions so showing the flag and little else so about as useful as a fighting ship as the old Royal yacht, though I’m sure her lovely new if untested missiles looked pretty. Worse still she is one of those with the upgraded towed sonar array but still hasn’t been able to test it because she’s back in dry dock trying to solve her persistent rudder bearing leaks which has only got worse every time they try to botch it.
No, was 19 as recent as 2020, has only decreased because of aging ships
A snails pace project is on Amber.
Absolutely priceless. What a mess.
Not a very good advertisement if they are interested in selling the type to Norway
Hasn’t this just slipped? In a December UKDJ article we were told:
“The Type 26 frigates, designed for advanced anti-submarine warfare, remain on schedule to achieve Initial Operating Capability in 2028. Ships from this class are expected to enter service incrementally between 2028 and 2035.”
Now we are being told:
“Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to delivering eight Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates by May 2035”
There’s a year or two difference between delivery and operational.
I don’t think so…
The Initial Operating Capability in 2028 aligns with the plans for the first in class, I believe, with the 2035 being delivery of the final hull.
However, the way it is worded in the press releases provides a bit wriggle room for slippage by being less than entirely clear as to what exactly certain dates apply. For example, the IOC date I have assumed that it applies to the first hull but the wording talks about the ‘T26 frigates’ not the lead ship…
Cheers CR
I’m sure BAE are pulling out all the stops to accelerate Glasgow. And what they learn should make Cardiff fitting out faster. You might in facf be on to something positive with your reference to wiggle room. IOC might mean 2 ships.
Germany’s latest Frigate has only just had its keel laid, it too is planned for initial service in 2028. Laughable. Listening to Starmer and his promises is getting like listening to those spoof Hitler in the bunker takes where he is originally moving imaginary armies around on the map to the Generals amazement but gets replaced in the subtitles by such trivialised matters as… well let’s say a British PM moving imaginary armies and navies around to show Britain’s ongoing never ending commitments to World peace. Onlookers are equally dumbfounded just wearing Chinese imported uniforms.