New images have provided a fresh view of HMS Glasgow and HMS Cardiff, the Royal Navy’s first two Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates, with both ships now progressing in parallel through the fitting-out phase ahead of trials.
HMS Glasgow, the lead ship of the eight-strong City class, has been at Scotstoun since being floated off at Glen Mallan in late 2022. The ship has spent the years since in a sustained programme of outfitting, with major equipment including the BAE Systems Mk 45 Mod 4A 127mm naval gun fitted forward, the foredeck prepared to receive the Sea Ceptor and Mk 41 vertical launch system modules, and the bow and towed array sonar systems installed. Internal cable termination, equipment commissioning and system integration work has dominated activity on board for the past year as the ship moves toward the start of sea trials.
HMS Cardiff, the second of class, joined HMS Glasgow at Scotstoun in late 2024 after her own float-off and tow up the Clyde, and the two have since been pictured together on numerous occasions. Cardiff completed her first flood-up in May 2026, transitioning into wet dock and into the afloat fitting-out phase. Her programme remains some way behind that of Glasgow, with major equipment installations and system integration work continuing.
The Type 26 build effort on the Clyde is a programme that has steadily expanded since first steel was cut for HMS Glasgow in July 2017. BAE Systems has invested heavily in the supporting infrastructure, including the Janet Harvey Hall at Govan that allows two Type 26 hulls to be constructed in parallel under cover. The investment is intended to reduce build duration from a first-of-class figure of around 96 months toward 60 months for the eighth ship of the class, with the interval between ships compressed from 18 months to 12.
HMS Glasgow is scheduled to begin contractor sea trials before the end of 2026, with reporting earlier this year indicating that the start of trials had slipped from earlier in the year toward December 2026 or early 2027. Following completion of trials and handover to the Royal Navy, the ship will undertake a period of Royal Navy-led work-up and live weapon trials, with full operational capability anticipated in 2028. The eight ships of the class are expected to enter service between 2028 and 2035, with each replacing one of the in-service Type 23 anti-submarine warfare frigates currently delivering the role.
The remaining six ships of the class, HMS Belfast, HMS Birmingham, HMS Sheffield, HMS Newcastle, HMS Edinburgh and HMS London, are at varying stages of construction at BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun yards. HMS Belfast, HMS Birmingham and HMS Sheffield are at Govan, with long-lead procurement under way for HMS Newcastle.
Earlier this week, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard told Parliament that the programme remained on track to meet all user requirements and to deliver all eight ships, with vessels entering service from the late 2020s.
The Type 26 design has also become the platform of choice for a growing number of allied navies. Norway selected the British design last year under a £10 billion agreement covering at least five hulls, with Australia building six ships of the Hunter class variant and Canada planning fifteen of the River class destroyer variant. Combined with the eight Royal Navy ships, the international Type 26 user community now totals around 34 hulls planned or under construction, placing the design at the centre of allied surface combatant procurement for the coming decades.
The ships’ primary role is anti-submarine warfare, with a quiet hull form, advanced sonar suite and a low acoustic signature engineered around the demanding requirements of detecting modern submarines. The class will operate primarily in protection of the United Kingdom’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent and the carrier strike group, alongside contributions to NATO standing maritime task groups and to the joint UK-Norway force structure agreed under the new Lunna House Agreement. The mission bay located amidships will allow the ships to deploy uncrewed surface and undersea systems, embarked Royal Marines, and a wide range of other mission loads alongside their core anti-submarine equipment.
The images were taken by me onboard a flight coming into Glasgow Airport, not by a drone, as many will likely be curious about.
Canada needs to pressure Irving to accelerate production of the River Class. They are working on one hull at at a time and stringing along the Canadian taxpayer for the next 25 years.
The RCN needs these hulls in the next 10 years not 25-30.
Well that’s what happens when you don’t order anything much for decades, let you Naval shipbuilding collapse, build house all round the build hall and leave no room for expansion. You end up with a single hull Assembly Hall and no wiggle room (unless you reclaim land and narrow the access to the Bedford Basin).
IMHO Canada should seriously think about building and funding a new purpose yard at Halifax and operate it on the same model as Australia and USA. State owned but Contractor Operated, nice thing is you can stick the investment costs into the 1.5% of GDP that should be spent on “Defence Related expenditure”.
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The English Channel has become a primary flashpoint in the maritime shadow war between the UK and Russia. Following the aggressive implementation of Western sanctions, an estimated 184 unique UK-sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” tankers have defied tracking to make at least 238 journeys through British waters, transporting crude oil. To protect these economic lifelines and deter Western interdictions, the Kremlin has deployed naval assets – primarily the Udaloy-class destroyer RFS Severomorsk and the guided-missile frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich – as armed escorts.
The standoff escalated dramatically after Royal Marine Commandos forcefully boarded and seized the Cameroon-flagged shadow tanker Smyrtos off Portland, confiscating 98,000 tonnes of Russian oil, Days later, a severe propulsion failure and fuel crisis left the Grigorovich drifting in dense fog south of the Isle of Wight Incapable of manoeuvring, the paranoid Russian crew panicked when “Bright Future” a motorless British leisure yacht sailed near. The frigate fired warning small arms shots, sparking a major international incident
Today, the crippled Russian frigate remains heavily constrained, loitering in international waters roughly 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight. The Royal Navy has successfully paralyzed it’s escort mission; the River-class patrol vessel HMS Mersey maintains a continuous visual lock supported by Wildcat helicopter overflights. While Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer condemned this “reckless” display. The MoD concluded the shooting stemmed from mechanical incompetence rather than a deliberate act of war. Meanwhile, the UK legal system has fast-tracked the sanctions prosecution of Smyrtos captain Ajay Pant, remanding him in custody ahead of a July 16, 2026 trial hearing, signalling an unyielding British crackdown on Russia’s maritime evasion.
They really need to get a move on. All the Treasury has to do is to loosen the purse strings.
Are BAE coordinating the final piece (Radar) on HMS Glasgow with the fitting of the festive star this year perhaps?
Good to see these ships progressing, though it’s obvious that despite modern electrical wiring and systems, plus weapon installation, the fitting out still remains an issue in terms of being timely. Obviously Glasgow is the lead ship; hence, it will be subject to prototype problem-solving and mistakes, which should allow the rest of the fleet to benefit. Also, I do hope there is no Treasury interference in the budget management?
Wonder if BAE are worried about the lack of progress with the t83 …? Or do they lay off all their workers on the Clyde after t26..??
Eleven years from steel being cut to in service (we hope). The latest Japanes destroyer took three.