The Royal Navy will receive all eight of its planned Type 26 frigates, Defence Minister Luke Pollard has said, confirming that the order will not be cut despite discussions over offering build slots to Norway.
The assurance came in a written answer to Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, who asked whether build slots for the Type 26 had been discussed during the minister’s talks with his Norwegian counterpart in May. Pollard said he had been pleased to discuss what he called the broad and ever-closer strategic partnership with the Norwegian state secretary on 19 May 2026.
Pollard restated the position he had set out to the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, Mark Francois, in an earlier answer, saying the UK was working with its Norwegian partners to assess options for offering Type 26 build slots currently allocated to the Royal Navy to the Royal Norwegian Navy. “The UK Royal Navy will receive all eight Type 26 ships during the late 2020s and 2030s as planned,” he said.
UK expected to place Clyde frigate order to plug Norwegian gap
He described the wider arrangement as producing a joint Anglo-Norwegian force. “Norway’s biggest ever defence procurement deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates – eight British and at least five Norwegian – operate jointly in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO’s northern flank,” Pollard said.
The Type 26, also known as the City class, is being built by BAE Systems at its yards on the Clyde to replace the ageing Type 23 frigates in the anti-submarine warfare role. Norway selected the design last year, joining Australia and Canada as international operators of the British-designed warship and giving the four navies a common anti-submarine platform.
8. Atleast another 3 or 4 would be wonderful.
Alot of conflict hotspots around the world. Only getting worse. Even if we have x amount of ships in reserve just build more than planned.
Agree Elliot. A minimum of 1 T-26 and 1 T-31 making 9 and 6 respectively. Ideally 12 and 6 would be better. However 12 T-26 for the UK and 5 for Norway by 2035 would probably require a second T-26 production line. Unless the government gets truly serious about defence then I don’t see it happening.
Agreed. I also think we should be investing heavily in the infrastructure necessary to expand production if needed. Not just shipyards but factories aswell. If they’re not needed to produce arms or other defence related systems then they can be used for civilian use.
This country is so frustrating, we have the resources and brains to be much better. Just lack the willpower.
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This has been the position all along.
Hopefully puts this one to bed.
The final T26 in December 2039?
The government (?) indicates a wish to grow the fleet. But doesn’t address the lack of a shipbuilding ability to do it. We could treble the defence budget but , because we produce at such a glacial pace it would be nearly a decade before 8 would see a tangible increase in numbers about the same time as the first one is scrapped 😡😡😡
Aye, but you can’t blame people (myself included) for their doubts. I had it as a 50-50 in my mind.
This shouldn’t be a big “good news” article, but it is, largely because it wasn’t certian.
Sure, Jay. With our politicians, nothing is totally certain, given the history of the last 30 years.
Agree
We need more than 8 ourselves. Also, is the timeline for getting service stretching out because of the Norwegian order?
Promises made today won’t hold any weight in 2028 when they’ll inevitably cut the order down to 6.
This is the problem, politicians words have become meaningless.
Now if Parliament as a whole mandated it?
Parliament won’t though, the parties would realise they would lose the ability to cut defence to fund their vote winners like they have for the past 30 years, any sensible person can see that Defence should not be a political tool and should be outside of the scope of a single party and should be bipartisan, with the levels of spending and capabilities set by parliament rather than a party, it would be the best way to start defence reform, no more programs for headlines and talk of action without doing it.
No parliament can bind its successor so that wouldn’t help much.
For the wider ministerial micromanaging problem, the Italian system is to pass naval laws mandating the procurement of such and such a vessel and then control is handed over to the military the rest of the way. I don’t know if it would work here but surely better than our current process?
“We want eight and we won’t wait”
😁
Sorry but no matter what these clowns say, they will have a mealy mouthed way of doing what they want, and if need be reduce the number’s if they see an opportunity to do so! Although it’s highly unlikely these muppets will be in charge after 2029.