A £70 million contract with Thales has been announced, ensuring the provision of essential equipment and technical services at the Royal Navy’s test and integration facility at Portsdown Technology Park in Portsmouth.
This deal will secure 30 highly-skilled engineering jobs in Crawley and support more than 2,650 jobs through the Type 31 programme.
The Type 31 Mission System Shore Integration Facility will be outfitted with Type 31 mission systems equipment, enabling the safe and effective use of mission systems and equipment by Royal Navy personnel aboard the Inspiration-class frigates.
The contract, awarded by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK MOD, will support the Thales Above Water Systems unit based in Crawley.
Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, commented: “I’m delighted to see this continued collaboration with industry, ensuring the critical combat capabilities on our Type 31 fleet will be not only world-leading in terms of capability, but safe for our personnel.”
The Type 31 fleet construction will support around 1,250 highly-skilled jobs at Babcock and generate an additional 150 apprenticeships. The programme is also expected to bolster 1,250 roles in the UK supply chain. The entire fleet is anticipated to be delivered by the end of 2028 and enter service with the Royal Navy by the end of 2030.
DE&S Director General Ships Vice-Admiral Paul Marshall said: “I am incredibly proud of the Type 31 team at DE&S who have worked collaboratively and with great endeavour to secure this critical contract as the ships move ever closer to entering service with the Royal Navy.”
Commodore Steve Roberts, Deputy Director Ships Acquisition with the Royal Navy, remarked: “The Royal Navy is excited about the capability and flexibility that the T31 Class will bring. The ships will conduct critical maritime security tasks and the Type 31 Mission System Shore Integration Facility will play a vital role to ensure the ships are ready, and remain ready, to undertake these operations.”
Hopefully if the programme is complete by 2028 they will start trials that year.I know there is a financing dispute but overall work seems to be proceeding well. Maybe, instead of the T32 we would be better off with eight up armed T31’s, three being added to the order now and resolving the dispute.
I believe that Type 32 will eventually be a batch 2 Type 31, though that’s only my opinion.
It makes sense given the growth potential of the design.
I’d go along with Bob. Makes sense to use the same format wherever practical. The T32’s though are a “promise” rather than a fact and for when….3035, 3040. We need fully equipped ships now.
We need an increase in hull numbers as soon as possible; the RN is too small for its taskings. Ships can be up armed later when funds permit. With Type 32, we would eventually get to 24 escorts but extending Type 31 by 3 would put us at 22.
I don’t know how we reached this parlous state in the RN, army and airforce…yes we still have capability but not as much as the 1970s and 1980s… We don’t seem to have a strategic vision as a country…compare that to Georgian and Victorian Britain where there was a strategic vision. I think this comes down to poor management at the end of the day. Overseas countries seem to be much better at having a strategic vision both for the their defence and industry coupled to good management practice. We seem to be overloaded with management but just not very… Read more »
Three words, Cameron, Osbourne and Corbyn.
First two were a disaster and the third kept them in office.
I’d use three different words actually: National Health Service
People think it’s great, politicians treat it like a religion and it bleeds the treasury dry. At the rate of INCREASED funding since 2010, the HS will consume 100% of GDP by 2070. Let that sink in a second!
It’s funny you know as the British population overall is less healthy than the baby boom generation and the great generation before them..I think diet has a lot to do with the ill health of the nation. Also mental health issues are also more prevalent than when I was a child when people just got on with life. Deal with these two things and you deal with the NHS at the same time. The issue is that if you get something for free what is the incentive to look after your own body?
In not so sure mental health isues are more prevalent but maybe their diagnosis is more accurate and their impact better understood.
I’ll gve you diet although again thats probably just as much to blame on what is in fast (or convienient food) – and the impact of cost of living on the neccessity to have both parents in work and/or multiple jobs to pay for ever increasing bills….which means that stay at home moms (or dads) cooking decent food is not as prevalent as it used to be.
I would agree with those comments. Did you know 5.4M British on some form of state benefit. I don’t like the word entitlement as that indicates that this is a basic human right as opposed to charity which in my opinion benefits are.
👏 👏 👏
Yep. Frightening.
Well said
We now also had Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak…Just all useless the lot of them. I did see one funny thing recently which is the papers saying that Penny Mordaunt was a future PM because she managed to rest a sword on her ample stomach for 51 minutes…we do set a low bar these days for PM…Roll up, roll up..anyone that can rest a sword on their gut for 50 minutes can be PM…Then we have Keir Starmer…well what more can I say…he just says anything to get into power…we do get the politicians we… Read more »
Could be worse…could be just pulling a sword out of a stone, or some watery tart lobbing a scimitar at you would make you king .
Well you got the word “tart” right…we don’t seem to really ask much of our politicians these days in terms of mental capacity and capability…we set the bar low and wonder why we have the sh** show which is our armed forces investment.
MP requirement is a mate high up in a political party, show loyalty to the party above all else working with people from the party for a while. A degree in politics helps a lot. Then push for a nomination from party friends u have made.
Until a few years ago I thought an MP was a local to the area they stand in! But no some of them have stood in various seats before getting elected.
Like to see you hold that sort of weight for over 50 minutes, with just your arms. You might not like her but there’s no need to be so insulting
‘Well said’ Agree with you
I’m a very atheltic guy so holding the sword which weighs 8lbs is trivial. She rested it on her oversized fat stomach as well so it wasn’t on her arms. Anyway my central theme is this she is now being elevated again as a potential PM by the media because she held a bleedin sword on her stomach rather than because she is a good politician. Let’s not forget she doesn’t actually know the difference between a man and woman…let that sink for a few seconds…she doesn’t know what a man and a woman is….have a look at the mumsnet… Read more »
You may be athletic but you need your eyes testing as she clearly holds in with her arms and doesn’t rest it on “her gut” as you put it. After visiting an optician you might also want to then visit a psychologist to address your sexism too.
I’m actually surprised Andrew that you should be so unpleasant and insulting. It is blatantly obvious that you don’t like the Tories but there is no need to be so personal.
Actually I have voted conservative since I was 18 but I can’t stand the current crop of Liberal Democrats in the party and this is personified by people like Penny M.
Fair enough. To be honest, with odd exceptions, I can’t say I like many of the politicians from any of the parties. Few of them appear to have had a job in the real world. They all seem to be ex research assistants or ex (?) trade union.
Keep calm my friend and carry on. It can only get better. Can’t it?
True Geoff I would definitely agree with you on all that. Yes deep breadth the ride will be bumpy over the next few years…I just wish we had someone centre right that could implement red meat policies. I guess that is a pipe dream though…
I’m interested that you believe that Penny dissimilated on her RN career?
Please expand?
Worthwhile reading this article and many others that are available that document some half-truths:
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/from-bulwark-to-albion-penny-mordaunts-naval-service/
Hi Andrew I send a post last night which I agree with you on our capabilities in the 70s and 80s and give you the thum up .However mate having a personal go at Penny mordant out of hand mate ,may not agree with there politicians .But no need to go to far mate.
Andrew I get what you mean but I think we need to see through politicians like Penny. They are destroying the conservative party. The idea that these people are ever in the centre ground is a lie they perpetuate and this leads to conservative voters like me being cheated and lied to when we expect certain policies in their manifesto beibg enacted. I wish we could expunge all women short lists as it leads to inept people like Penny, Theresa May, Liz Truss…the role call of these inept people is endless. I’ve gone past the stage where i will play… Read more »
I wasn’t commenting on her political nous and there’s still no need to be so insulting. After all, I’m sure Penny M thinks highly of you
Agreed. If a person doesn’t agree with Mordants politics then argue the case, don’t comment on her physical appearance – which is also a rather sexist thing to do.
And Blair. The ships started getting laid up at Fareham creek and this Country had no peace dividend (options for change) only defence loss.
Two more. Blair and Brown. There were more cuts, sell offs and cancellations under Labour than anything the Tory/Liberal coalition did. As for Corbyn he is now disguised as Starmer. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
And some idiots before them ,but your right Cameron, Osbourne were a disaster .Not sure how they sleep at night .
Precisely. We have to hope we aren’t pushed in at the deep end before 2035 …
Very true 👍
The strategic vision is global Britain with a tilt to Asia/Pacific. The refresh doesn’t really change anything in the Integrated Review. The trouble is that a meaningful worldwide capability needs a much bigger budget. The other deeper problem is that Britain no longer needs a worldwide capability but politicians and military leaders alike cannot seem to accept the reality of UK being a mid sized European power and nothing more. Trying to be a mini USA leads to the wrong decisions for our own defence. If we could ditch the Imperial nostalgia and concentrate on our own needs, the current… Read more »
Peter I totally agree with you what you have just said. I also agree that politicians like to use our forces without actually considering how they are funded. We could easily afford to spend 3% of GDP on defence and build up our industrial capacity.if we could also drop the pretensions to be a global foreign aid champion which given our economy never made any sense to me. Trim foreign aid down to say 0.1% or 0.2% of GDP. given we are currently importing the third world to the UK it makes more sense to spend it in the UK… Read more »
I remember wincing when Andrew Mitchell said he wanted Britain to be a ” foreign aid superpower”. He has even complained that using part of it to pay for refugees in this country( in accordance with UN rules)means we have lost our aid superpower status.
How anyone can think that a country that has to keep borrowing £billions every year should try to give more away escapes me.
You and me too PeterS. I can’t stand that sanctimonious Andrew Mitchell (remember plebgate which may or may not have happened who really knows?). The only reason why MPs want foreign aid is so that they can earn money on the side through sending their children or obtaining lucrative NGO contracts. I’m telling you one thing which is NGO lobbying and MPs receiving benefit in kind will be the next scandel to be exposed. Did you know that some of the environmental protestors are paid (by whom we do not know) to protest…this is another scandel waiting to happen and… Read more »
I wouldn’t be so negative. All the RN ships in service are really good. T45 – with PiP is the best AAW out there; and T23 – although old is the best sub hunter; and T26 – will be an amazing upgrade on T23; and T31 – will be an upgraded with NSM on GPT23 in several important respects and with capacity for growth; and QEC is, baring Nimitz and Ford, the most significant carrier with the highest force generation rate out there; and Tides are nice and modern; and FSSS are finally on order; and Astute is top end… Read more »
The wealth which is generated by the country is leeched off to non UK shareholders and to UK Offshore Territory tax havens instead of being spent and invested at home. So are are getting poorer and poorer and being forced to work harder and harder. The system needs structural change.
It has been the biggest problem since the Thatcher years, selling all the utilities to her city friends. Paying share holders instead of making the profits re invested in companies. This is why utility prices are so high, as well as the massive wages of the top dogs. Just look at the lack of investment in water companies; causing all the sewage outpourings into our once clean seas.
I think we need to start thinking more in terms of Gross National Income not just Gross National Product. As I understand it GNI = GNP + money which flows into the country from foreign activities. I think our problem is that we have clean money flowing out and dirty money flowing in.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61264369.amp
If you compare UK with Ireland on a GDP basis the Irish are richer per capita than the UK. But a comparison of GNI shows a truer picture. The Irish economy is heavily dependent on US companies who repatriate profits back to the US.
It’s question of time scale David really. Everything has been pushed off until after the election and that does not bode well for defence. The government could get themselves a lot of brownie points in Scotland if they ordered another three now.
Most Scots couldn’t tell you what ship is built where or probably cares that much. But when a yard is threatened with closure, job layoffs it gets folks attention.
Most areas of the U.K. have some jobs in defence. Surface vessels is Scotland’s thing.
Barrow for subs, main ports and maintenance south of England, airplanes, engines middle England and so on. Any loss in a big area hurts and will be all over local press.
My preference is just keep Clyde and rosyth busy building ships. No stop starting.
Your probably right but I can always hope!😉
If we exclude the minehunters, we are about three hulls down in the last ten years. However, the increased time at sea for the escorts might well make up for that. Do four Tides make up for one Leaf, two Waves and two Rovers? Not quite. The biggest loss is the gapped capability in MCM, selling off ships before the replacements are ready; the two Forts, gapped for nearly a decade; a repair ship and a hydrographic. Biggest gains, the carriers, much more powerful than Lusty and Ocean; and the OPVs up by four. I’d argue that the escort fleet… Read more »
Much more likely to get to 24 by building ‘more of the same’ with totally understood risks and costs?
The issue with using warship as mothership is that it risks being turned into a fat ugly duckling that serves neither purpose terribly well.
Surely RN is better off with civvy conversions, as per the infrastructure inspection vessels, or more Bay type ships that can be multi purpose?
Is this for the maintenance of standard Type 31 systems, or for mission modules to flexibly add extra capability?
I just spotted the Thales press announcement and it’s the former. The systems include
It’s described by Thales as a sixth set of ships systems.
To add to the concrete T45 destroyer they are now adding a concrete frigate?
Seems so.
It includes simulators so probably no radar, guns or missiles. I suppose without simulators it would be tough to test a navigation system on a concrete frigate. “Plot a course for here. Steady as she goes…”
A highly effective use of funds to de-risk ship operations and training. Shore based systems are critical to getting ships and ships company operational as quickly as possible. Great view from up there as well.
Simulation systems are used in airspace to up grade pilots onto new aircraft. It works.
Let’s hope they know how to put in propeller drive shafts
I’m not a fan of the name inspiration class.
Only thing it should be used on is some tech breaking ship.
I hope for the 45 replacements they go with they name the ships with the letter E. lots of nice names.
I agree – I wasn’t all that keen on using the word ‘Inspiration’ either but let’s not confuse the ‘Class’ name with the names of the ships themselves. Inspiration is for sure the ‘Class’ name but the ships of the class are HMSs Venturer, Active, Formidable, Bulldog and Campbeltown. I’m good with those.
I just hope they get some decent teeth after commissioning – current weapons fit is paltry at best!
Love it when a plan comes together. Nice to see these T31 program milestones being achieved.
So, £70m on a training facility and we are still talking about a new platform for T32 with new training facilities as standard… Or T31 B2?
It’s not a training facility, it’s an integration assurance facility. The idea is that it’s much cheaper to test Combat System Equipment without the rest of the ship. Like £100k cheaper per day of testing, and it lets the RN derisk software and systems before they ever arrive on ship.