The Ministry of Defence has provided a fresh update on the construction of the Royal Navy’s new fleet of Type 26 Global Combat Ships, with five of the eight frigates now under various stages of build on the Clyde.
In a written response to a parliamentary question from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Minister of State Maria Eagle said the department “continues to work closely with BAE Systems (BAES) to ensure the Type 26 programme remains on track to meet all user requirements and deliver world-class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates to replace the Type 23.”
The update highlights ongoing progress since the steel-cutting ceremony for HMS Sheffield on 28 November 2024.
HMS Cardiff is now structurally complete and has joined HMS Glasgow in the dry dock at Scotstoun for outfitting. Meanwhile, “unit and block assembly on HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham continues,” Eagle noted.
HMS Glasgow is expected to reach Initial Operating Capability in 2028. “Construction of all eight frigates [is] expected to be complete by the mid-2030s,” the Minister added.
The Type 26 is designed to provide cutting-edge anti-submarine capability and will eventually replace the ageing Type 23 fleet. The ships are being built by BAE Systems at its Govan and Scotstoun yards in Glasgow, forming a key part of the UK’s long-term naval shipbuilding strategy.
I’ve seen that BAE have been recruiting more apprentices. I hope this investment plus the build-hall are an indication that they’ve been assured of a continuous flow of new orders to keep both the Govan and Scotstoun facilities economically viable as a production line.
Unless there is an order from Norway or perhaps 2 more Type 26 ordered for the U.K. what is BAE going to do from the early 2030s as the Type 26 build programme starts to rundown with a new frigate factory and enlarged workforce. Whilst the obvious answer might seem to start work on the Type 83 which in the perfect world would perhaps allow the first two to complement the Type 45 rather than replace them and bring destroyer numbers up to the 8 realistically required. Alternatives might include work on blocks for the MRSS or another gap in build with all its downsides.
Given, the lack of a full spectrum BMD system for the U.K. progressing quickly with the Type 83 would seem the natural choice but is that going to happen given pace of development of the Type 83 design. Hopefully SDR might provide some clarity.
World class cutting edge state of the art frigates, the envy of the World, no other country has this capability and in such huge numbers. BZ RN.
How possible would it be to accelerate the builds if needed?
“ HMS Glasgow is expected to reach Initial Operating Capability in 2028”
Whilst these are complex warships I do find the glacial rate of fitout hard to believe.
I appreciate it is deliberately slowed to produce drumbeat in the program…..but…..getting #1 into trucks and debugged has got to be a priority?
We really need to be placing additional orders both for Babcock and BAES so they have confidence and can get the cadence and costs down
If we don’t do something soon we are heading for another gap just at a point when we have got this into some sort of sustainable shape
All 8 plus the other cheaper 5 frigates, the Navy is doing ok better than the Army. At least 1 out 3 is better than 0 out of 3.
I wonder if Maria Eagle gets bored answering the same questions with the same vague answers every week.
George is it time for a spot of UKDJ drone flying perhaps ? Just asking 😉
Twelve years from 1998 to 2010 thinking about it, five years from 2010 to 2015 trying to work out what it was going to be and twenty years between 2016 and 2035 delivering eight ships. Steady progress? Contrast this with the latest Japanese frigates. Six ships in eight years.
The eagle has landed talks as if these ships are just around the corner. Mid 2030s for all eight of them to be operational,maybe they won’t be so cutting edge by then.
What nick and how many T23s will be usable by then……T31s will need to be quick
Why can’t we build them as fast as China, that is our main problem we will face.
Its taken longer to build one of these frigates than it it took to build one of the QE class aircraft carriers . Why ?
We are going to need more than 8. Surely the bean counters can squeeze a few more out of the programme?