The automatic small calibre gun requirement has been removed from the Fleet Solid Support manufacture contract with Navantia UK, at a cost of £1.704 million recorded as a constructive loss, because it no longer matches the Royal Navy’s likely future gun solution, according to a written answer published on Monday.
Luke Pollard, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, was responding to Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, who had asked about the loss disclosed in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts for 2025 to 2026.
Mr Pollard said: “The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) Automatic Small Calibre Gun requirement, which formed part of the manufacture contract with Navantia UK, has been removed from the contract as it is no longer aligned with the Royal Navy’s (RN) most likely future gun solution. The RN gun rationalisation programme, introduced since the FSS manufacture contract was placed, aims to reduce the number of gun variants and bring commonality across the RN’s Fleet, providing longer term value for money.”
Setting out the reasoning behind accepting a loss now, he said: “Although this decision has resulted in some financial loss, changing the requirement now avoids incurring greater losses at a later stage, associated with fitting and then replacing an incompatible system. The FSS ships will now be designed to accept a range of future gun systems that will enhance our warfighting readiness and deterrence.”
The Royal Navy has accumulated a considerable number of small and medium calibre gun types across its fleet over the years, each carrying its own ammunition, spares, training pipeline and maintenance requirement, and the rationalisation programme Mr Pollard describes exists to reduce that spread rather than to change what any individual ship can do.
The saving from commonality is felt in the supply chain rather than on the gun mounting. A fleet operating fewer variants holds fewer distinct ammunition natures, trains fewer specialists and stocks fewer unique components, which is where the longer term value for money he refers to comes from.
The three Fleet Solid Support ships are being built by Navantia UK to carry ammunition, stores and provisions to the carrier strike group and the wider fleet, replacing a capability the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has been without since the Fort-class ships left service.
How are those provisions supplied currently?
If anything deserves a laser weapon, it’s these vessels. At no point can the navy leave logistical support at risk. Proof of that was obvious during the Falklands War.
The Falklands was 44 years ago 🤦 We have operated RFA vessels in hostile waters many times since then.
And when have they been on the receiving end of sustained air attack remotely close to that seen in 82 then Captain Complacent?
Yes and taken risk. I spent 30 years i. The RFA and finished as a Captain. All through this time weapon systems on RFA have suffered being second class and generally out of date. They all need a joined up approach and something the RFA themselves can operate, maintain and use tactically. Something which is missing at present
I doubt that it has enough power in its current design.
Another “fitted for, but not with” ?
We have operated them with drone boats. I assume this is just a change and not a removal.