HMS Glasgow is nearing completion with major equipment installations underway, HMS Cardiff is preparing to transition into the water and occupy the drydock for outfitting, HMS Belfast is set to be the first ship assembled in the new build hall, marking a milestone phase in its construction, and HMS Birmingham’s construction is accelerated through strategic outsourcing, with assembly and consolidation to commence soon.
Let’s take a closer look at the specifics.
HMS Glasgow
Status & Progress
HMS Glasgow has reached approximately 65% completion, marking significant advancements in its construction phase. The focus has been on major equipment installations, including the fitting of the bow sonar and preparations for the main gun installation.
Next Steps
Currently in Scotstoun for outfitting, Glasgow is on the cusp of entering its testing and commissioning phases. With sea trials anticipated in 2026, these upcoming steps are critical for validating Glasgow’s capabilities and performance, aligning with the scheduled handover to the Royal Navy the same year.
HMS Cardiff
Status & Progress
HMS Cardiff is progressing steadily towards structural completion, a phase that closely trails the development of HMS Glasgow. The ship is preparing for the subsequent outfitting and testing phases, which involve the integration of combat systems and operational technologies essential for its mission capabilities.
Next Steps
Cardiff is poised to enter the water towards the end of this year, marking a pivotal transition in its construction journey. Following Glasgow’s relocation to a ‘wet dock,’ Cardiff will occupy the vacated dry dock, facilitating its outfitting and testing in a controlled environment.
HMS Belfast
Status & Progress
HMS Belfast is in the initial stages of construction, with its structure described as being in “three or four large chunks.” This early phase indicates the foundational work underway, setting the stage for Belfast’s assembly.
Next Steps
A notable milestone for Belfast is its slated assembly and joining in the newly constructed build hall, a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the efficiency and quality of shipbuilding processes. Belfast will have the distinction of being the first ship to be consolidated and assembled within this modern environment.
HMS Birmingham
Status & Progress
HMS Birmingham’s construction strategy showcases a significant departure from traditional practices, with approximately one-sixth of its steelwork being outsourced. This initiative to distribute construction efforts across A&P on the Tyne and at Cammell Laird aims to expedite the building process and also ensures that the workload is manageable. BAE say that this approach allows for the leveraging of external expertise and facilities, ensuring that Birmingham’s construction proceeds without overburdening the primary shipbuilding sites.
Next Steps
With the external construction of components underway, the focus will soon be on the integration and assembly of these sections. Birmingham’s next crucial phase involves the arrival of these components at Govan by barge. Following the assembly, Birmingham is set to commence its consolidation phase later this year or early in the next.
The Future
The Type 26 frigate programme is continuing, with HMS Sheffield, HMS Newcastle, HMS Edinburgh, and HMS London all officially ordered. These vessels are slated for construction at the Govan shipyard, ensuring a continuation of the skilled craft and technological innovation that have characterised the project thus far.
Significantly, steel is to be cut on the fifth ship, HMS Sheffield, in the next nine months. In short, work is ongoing and largely progressing well.
Do I sense that the pace of construction is being accelerated as compared with the previous leisurely plans?
Exactly, precisely my question of the day. 🤔👍😊
I actually feel the opposite. I get the feeling Belfast’s build is being slowed as to use the new hall rather than getting Cardiff of the hardstand and carrying on with Belfast there and use the new hall for the last five.
Tbf it will make assembly much easier and reduce wear on the hull by just sitting in the rain.
Will the fitting out be done in the build halls?
afaik, no, but at Scotstoun.
Yikes, quick read “breakdown of progress” and thought it meant “collapse of progress” :/ So many defence matters at the mo. are depressing, can you blame me ? 😮
For a moment I thought the same, yes cynicism is difficult to shift once rooted in one’s mindset.
Our manufacturing base is trashed £billions have been thrown up the Clyde and what have we got? Yards that are allowed to get away with taking FOUR YEARS TO BUILD A PATROL SHIP a national embarrassment.
Hmmm…is the possible unwritten subtext of this article that BAES has either voluntarily, or via HMG direction, decided to accelerate build schedule? Subcontracts to A&P and CL in the original plan? The blokes down at the Admiralty may have read the Intel reports and decided, that on the whole, a new frigate flotilla, ASAP, was an intelligent move. Dunno, may be reading the tea leaves incorrectly…🤔😉
Likely the realisation that life extending the Type 23’s ad nauseam is unfeasable,better to get the 26’s into service asap.
I was about to say that, better to spend the money now on speeding up the new build than on the diminishing returns on the type 23s.
My question is always why do we do this the hard way every time, it’s been fairly clear for a number of years the type 26 is needed to replace the type 23 quicker than the build rate but the way the treasury works is to kick spending as far down the road as possible to save in the current year even though it’ll cost more in subsequent years.
Exactly Slowing down the Astute program (the deliberate bit, not the bit where they had to call in Electric Boat) was eventually admitted to have added £1.6 billion to the program cost, i.e. approx the money it would have cost to build an extra boat.
Slowing down programmes is a joke whatever way you dress it. Deliberately slowing down a project when the needs of the customer are so great. Shows that the Lunatic Are RUNNING THE ASYLUM.
Yeah I wonder if it has anything to do with 5 year political terms.
🤔👍😊
I think what we are seeing is a compression of the schedule for each ship as the yard gains experience. The build rate for HMS Glasgow is positively glacial, but she is being used as a learning tool, so all the mistakes are made on ship #1. HMS Cardiff will benefit from that so I expect her build time will be significantly reduced. HMS Belfast will be used to prove the new build hall, so the two halves will still be joined, but all the fitting out, painting etc that is done at Govan will benefit from being under cover.… Read more »
Just putting two and two together and getting 397, but might this just tie in to the Norwegian announcement about procuring 5 new ASW frigates of a type already in production. A batch of 5 fir Norway would the pickup in pace, but also the lack of concern from the MoD regarding work or progress on the T83.
A batch of 5 for Norway would explain is what that should say. Apologies it’s been a long day.
The fact that BAE had those T26 enhanced Hunter offerings for the RAN suggests that at least some of the T83 type project may be further along than we think. That would be good considering the US, Italy, Spain, Japan and others seem to be progressing their similar type ships.
Ummm…US, not so much. ☹️ Refer to comments above, please.
The US is steadily turning FREMM from a off the shelf design into a bespoke US design 😛 Progress!
Arrghh!!!…😱☹️
We’ve gotta get rid off all that Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey design on this Frigate and make it Red White and Blue ‘Murican!
Too early yet for that decision to have any effect on the shipyard. But there is room to speed up production to allow for foreign builds.
Yes, believe your explanation is more plausible. 🤔 Thanks. 👍 Perhaps BAES could be persuaded to assist Fincanteri in production of Constellation Class (3 yr. delay recently announced). 🤔😊😁
Leaving aside the excuse that it was the Covid problem that caused the delays, I read somewhere recently that when the contract was let to Fincantieri the de sign purportedly gave 80% commonality with the existing Italian design. Now there is 15% commonality, ie it’s a new design almost entirely. Every man and his dog is putting forward their own pet piece of kit, I believe the non technical term for it is death by a thousand salami slices.
It is the typical crap that also England did with Ajax, everyone wants to put their signature and complexity increases.
But there is also the issue of a significant lack of technical workers in USA.
Agreed. Like us the US banked the “peace dividend “ and did their damndest to destroy the defence industrial base. We are now reaping the dividend.
It should also be added that the cost of the latest batch is a highly competitive £840m per copy
that is very good VFM all things considered. Using this platform to replace T45 must be the way to go – even with a midship extension of repurposing of the mission module and integrating some of the adaptable strike frigate features
I think it’s largely due to trying to catch up due to slippages from COVID. Unfortunately UK shipbuilding just like US seems to have been hit much worse than we thought by COVID and the labour shortages following it and we only now starting to see the slippage in the surface ship and submarine programs.
At the moment the current government is pumping substantial sums into ship building, maintainance and submarines all as part of AUKUS.
Yes, that rationale has been advanced for delays in both Constellation and Virginia classes. Wonder how long that explanation will remain viable? 🤔
It’s total BS to just blame Covid for everything, it’s a catch all excuse for nearly 30 years of total negligence. In the 90’s the West took the foot off the pedal, stopped developing or building new equipment and just relied on refitting or updating the same old designs. The result was the obliteration of 2 generations of designers, engineers and skilled workers who were just not taken on and a demographic Tsunami that is right across the board. Which is why you see the same Abram’s, Bradley, M109, F15, F16, F18 etc etc etc (sorry for using US examples… Read more »
👍👍 Occasionally wonder, when waxing contemplative/philosophical, which side really won Cold War I. West couldn’t disarm fast enough in order to embrace the social welfare master agenda. The ChiComs have a long term perspective and plan. Is it possible they timed an expansionist policy to coincide w/ the nadir of Western military capability?
A reminder that China was not on the “communist side” during the cold war. They split after Mao and Stalin had a “dispute”
However, it could additionally be a demonstration of the principle that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ 🤔
You’ve got the answer spot on , this is exactly what’s been going on .
Mind you, the U.S still churned out those Burkes since the 90’s at rate of 2 per year!
But No follow on frigates!
The U.S could of brought T-23 IP to based a new build frigate on, in the late 1990’s.
Nope M8 you’re not wrong, the only way BAe would speed it up is if MOD speeds up the schedule of payments. But it does create a production gap that will need filling. BAe got very badly burnt by MOD 20 years ago and these days they have “Terms of Business”. In plain English it’s a contractual agreement “We will build what you want, when you want and at a fair price but you need to ensure we have a constant work stream and pay your bills on time. And if not get your cheque book out !”. Last time… Read more »
Exactly, am quite concerned about the Constellation Class program. USN can ill afford to have another major surface acquisition program head South, especially given current/future geopolitical situation in the SCS. It is a damned shame T-26 was not available to participate in the USN FFG competition. Would have been a win-win scenario: increased export sales for UK PLC (strengthening shipbuilding infrastructure), and a very desirable enhancement of USN capability. 🤔😳😱☹️
Great to see such good progress on these ships . It would be even better if a rolling programme of ship building was announced to keep these skills built up over this programme
Best we can hope for is that the T83 follows on from the end of T26
And or 1-2 more T26 for the RN while prices are low. Wasn’t the original number going to be 9?
More T26 just isn’t happening, there is no indication of such.
Slim chance of export orders.
Original number was 13, only 8 were going to be fitted with towed arrays however.
The original number was going to be 13, as Hugo said. 1 for 1 replacements for the Type 23’s, but given only 8 of them where supposed to be fitted with ASW tails, it was decided that it didn’t make sense to buy 13 Type 26’s at 1billion£+ a piece with exquisite sub hunting gold plating that wasn’t going to get used. Instead the buy was divided into 8 Type 26’s and 5 Type 31’s. (As had kind of been the plan in the very early GCS program with the C1 and C2 ships).
Thanks both for the clarification.
Also BAE will be looking worridley East to Rosyth i expect they will have all the T-31’s and probably T-31/2’s built and in service before BAE have completed half of the T-26’s, if the build quality is good they will worry about getting future orders.
Competition would be a good thing , just hope there are enough orders to go round .
Still yet to be seen what the quality of construction of the T31 will be like, no saying it’ll be bad, but BAE has alot of experience in high end vessels for all its fault. More than likely the company to build T83
I think Rosyth had fair bit of experience with the carriers. They also have OMT on board who have help yards globally modernise.
I think that’s healthy situation as it allows for newer uk orders and maybe orders from abroad
Does on the cusp of something equate to in 2 and a half years time?
A great picture of all eight ships of the class at sea together. Let’s hope that BAE have cleaned up their act since the T45 fiasco and the taxpayer and the navy will get the ships they paid for. What guarantees are in place to ensure what was promised is delivered, operation and fit for purpose, not the next generation of ‘dockyard cats’
The T45 propulsion problems were caused by the defence secretary picking the engines.
At the time he said
LM2500 is a mature product. It is in volume production and it is available at an attractive price. We accept that the WR21 presents a greater degree of risk to the programme. But we had to look at a range of other factors.
The shipbuilder didn’t get a say
I’m still hoping a government of the future will see sense and up the budget sufficiently to allow more than 8 ships. The production line is hot, teething issues would have been sorted by then, R&D paid off with the first 8 ships. We can only hope.
Who the f??k is feeding this clown?
T83 is not happening, Defence Review, don’t you know.
Come on Rish! Order 4*T26, B3.
Got a source for the T-83 not happening or are you making it up ?
The timeline and politics. Simples.
You say T83 isn’t happening, then make up a 3rd batch or T26 which aren’t air defence vessels.
But they could be, the one key aspect is the hull must be able to support the height of the mast, the higher you get the radar the further over the horizon you can see but stick that weight up high means you need hull size. This is a critical design critiera for airwarfare vessel. But advances in technology could change that, lighter radar and mast material would reduce the need for a larger hull. Also other air warfare vessels have not mounted the radar as high. For instance the T45 radar is almost twice the height of Arliegh Burkes.… Read more »
Adding any top weight to the T26 design seems to end badly, just look at the Hunter class. But having a longer range radar is always better.
Not sure the T83 isn’t happening but I think the next Defence reivew will be interesting. There certainly going to be a regional and not global strategy underpinning the review and a new ‘NATO Test’. Will we need dedicated air warfare destroyers, will we indeed need escorts! T83 may end up being a high end GP frigate which frankly would be more useful for a regional defence posture.
Well, you and I both know that she is out of timeline now for an FOC BEFORE T45 is due out and we both know that Labour will fluster cuck a Defence Review to save money BUT at the same time, will elongate the time line and then, only then, might we see progression to pre-gate by which time, T45s will be becoming knackered.
Disagree about Labour disengagement from the World, with potential contracts coming from India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and a HEAVY dose of US strong arming, we are staying in the Pacific.
Why would it be a frigate, and why would that be more useful. We need to defened against threats like ballistics and hypersonics.
Because if we revert to a more regional defence then its better to use land based systems. Defeat in hypersonic and ballistic missiles its the radar and weapon, not the hull. Hypersonics will have a high low flight path as they burn too much fuel to travel to all the way to the target at low altitudes. Ballistics with the right radar it will be picked up early. Thales demonstrated their Smart L radar could track a BM at 900 miles, a missile launched in the Hebrides was successfully tracked from the Netherlands. Tracking data was passed to the Aegis… Read more »
Carriers will be deploying well away from land based installations even if its just up north. Will need proper destroyers.
I’m betting our carriers don’t see out the decade. We don’t need them to potter around a few hundred miles from home.
If we remain global proper air defence is needed for the strike group but otherwise there’s no logic in keeping the carriers and no logic to have a dedicated air defence platform.
We shall have to wait and see, the next defence review will be telling.
That would be equivalent to throwing away Billions of pounds for no benefit.
British Govts of any hue are world renowned experts at doing that.
GET IN WITH IT!!!
First steel was cut for HMS Glasgow July 2017 and for HMS Cardiff in Aug 2019, so around two years later. Glasgow was floated off in November 2022 and Cardiff at the end of this year, so again 2 years later. It doesn’t seem as though Cardiff’s build has been accelerated compared to the first ship. We know Belfast had first steel cut in Jun 21, Birmingham in April 23 and we are told Sheffield’s will be in the next nine months, so around the end of the year. This is an acceleration from about every 24 months to about… Read more »
Read Lister’s comments re. order book today and what the future holds and his plans for after 7 years.