Britain will invest in a new class of larger amphibious transport ships to support Commando Force operations, with the stated aim of bringing them together with the Netherlands into a combined fleet, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The vessels form one strand of a wider programme to convert the UK Commando Force into what the department calls the Future Commando Force, an effort now weighted towards the High North and backed by a commitment of more than £500 million. New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, appointed earlier this month, has spent his first fortnight reshaping the Defence Investment Plan around equipment for frontline units, and the amphibious ships sit in that package alongside new high-speed insertion craft and uncrewed systems.
Jarvis tied the spending directly to the Commandos’ equipment needs. “We’re investing in new lethal strike drones, high-speed boats and amphibious transport ships to give our Commandos the equipment they need to stay ahead of adversaries and defend us,” he said.
The announcement would go a way to rebuild an amphibious fleet that has thinned considerably. The Royal Navy has been without a dedicated landing platform dock since HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, the two Albion-class flagships, left service in 2025. Their planned successor had been pursued under the Multi Role Strike Ship programme, a project for up to six vessels intended to replace the Albions, the three Bay-class landing ships and the aviation support ship RFA Argus, with the first hull expected in the early 2030s and the effort moving from its concept phase into assessment during 2026. It is unknown whether this replaces that project.
British and Dutch marines have operated together in the UK/NL Amphibious Force for more than fifty years, and in 2023 the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding, known as Project CATHERINA, to study a shared amphibious ship design. That joint-design ambition was set aside in 2024 once the two navies judged their requirements and budgets too far apart for a single hull, with work redirected towards interoperability and common subsystems such as landing craft, cranes, dock doors and propulsion.
The Netherlands is already planning six Amphibious Transport Ship vessels, a concept pictured above, to replace its Rotterdam-class landing platform docks and Holland-class patrol vessels, with deliveries planned from 2032.
A combined fleet of the sort the Ministry of Defence now describes would draw those two national programmes into closer alignment than the subsystem-level cooperation the navies had most recently settled on, putting shipping able to move marine raiding forces through the contested waters of NATO’s northern and Baltic approaches under a shared Anglo-Dutch design philosophy.
The refreshed Defence Investment Plan is expected to be published before NATO leaders meet in Ankara on 7 and 8 July, a summit at which allied defence spending and industrial capacity are set to dominate.
Through deck good, no defences bad. How would these relate to mrss?
Will this reaplce MRSS.
LEts hope not but probably will.
Can’t really judge it on an early concept image.
I wonder how shared this will be. Are we going to jointly buy and share hulls or just production and each individual nation has it’s own hulls. Sharing hulls themselves could be an interesting way to get capability on the cheap. Brings political risk of only being able to use when both nations agree but better than not having the capability at all
Numbers carefully avoided. “Up to 6” MRSS were planned for full replacement of the 2 LPDs, 3 Bays, and Argus.
Anything less is a cut, so I’d hoped the 6 would be multi role like the MRSS to add some mass to the escort fleet.
Who would build them, and when, keep hearing our yards are maxed out? Babcock, after T31?
I guess next in line with whatever yard frees up next. Advantage it keeps yards open, disadvantage it means a long delay.
Babcock are what on to steel cutting for hull 4? Unless they get export orders pretty quickly, they are going to be looking desperate for something to keep the yard open.
If we do get 6 would it be better to build six of the same vesels or 3 bay replacements and three lighter better armed MRSS type vessels that can launch the CIC?
Bay replacements being large basic RFA, very similar to the bays. Lightly armed, high capacity. Space for two helicopters and well deck for drones and ship to shore connectors
Albion/argus replacement being something crossed between a frigate and an LPD with the ability to launch the CIC from Davits or a stern ramp. Similar to the concept from BAE.
Probably only end up with three vessels in total that are a compromise of the two designs and suit nobody
I hadn’t realised quite how big the Ditch fleet was until I just checked on Wikipedia.
It raises the question, should we be reinstalling. “blocking” chains across the River Medway 😀😀😀
On a serious note, a fleet of 6 is quite a large commitment, so let’s see what the RN decide to do.
So one moment they’re obsolete according to some, and we need smaller ships as the UKCF “only do raiding now” ( not quite so, but anyway ) and then this turns up.
“Larger Transport Ships.” 🤔
3 at the most I’d imagine. Thought the MRSS plan had some merit, if the vessel could do a Strike role as well and act as a light Frigate alongside dropping Commandos.
“High Speed Insertion Craft.” That terminology usually applies to the boats used by the SBS LRI & MRI Troops, so assume that’s the long ongoing LCVP replacement.
““Larger Transport Ships.” 🤔” Yes, larger than what: the 16,000 ton Bays, 19,000 ton Albions or 28,000 ton Argus?
The image (and I know it is only there because every press release or article needs something visual) looks a lot smaller and makes me think of an even smaller version of Damen’s Multi-purpose Support Ship, which they are building as the NRP D. João II for the Portuguese Navy – and that is reportedly only 7,000 tons with hanger space for 1 helicopter and some UAVs To an extent that makes sense, given that the Dutch want this to replace four OPVs but it seems rather small as a replacement for their two LPDs, let alone the RN’s requirements.
I could see an intermediate sized (10-15,000 ton) LHD-type with decent self-defence capabilities making sense for the RN both as an amphibious ship and to support the uncrewed sensor vessels that are proposed for the ‘Atlantic Bastion’ and to prosecute any contacts with ASW helicopters, rotary UAVs and (maybe) some ASROC-type weapon from and Mk. 41 VLS. <7000 tons, not so much – might as well build some T31 variants.
Hadn’t realised the actual capacity of the Portuguese hull was so limited.
Makes sense to me.
So what are we getting?
An ATS version that can operate independently, perhaps🤔
Seems like a good idea BUT if the future commando force is weighted towards the “high North” why do we need assault ships? Where are they supposed to be used? The only place is Norway surely and we don’t need assault ships for that. MRSS seems a better option.
Just a reason to order a lesser quantity.
If it’s a through deck, I will be very shocked. Finger crossed.
Isn’t that what the Dutch were planning, but given the UK has already said no once, who knows…
‘Jointly operated’ is just a term used to justify buying fewer.
More smoke and mirrors from the Government. There will be no type 83 or type 32. Is this true modernisation or dressed up cuts.
Was there ever a Type 32 outside of Johnson running his mouth? I mean was there an actual budget line for it, a development team?
Bit like Starmer “running his mouth” over almost everything to do with defence really.
If the Dutch have committed to 6 already, what is the chances this could be a similar deal to the Norway T26 deal at BAE?
Could we take 2 of the 6 and ” up to 6″ MRSS becomes 4?