The UK Government has confirmed that £941.2 million has been spent on the maintenance and life extension of Royal Navy Type 23 frigates since October 2014, with an additional £63.7 million contractually committed for ongoing refits.

The figures were revealed in response to a parliamentary question from Ian Roome MP, with Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, stating that “£941.2 million has been spent on the delivery of T23 upkeeps completed since 2014. A further £63.7 million is currently contractually committed for the delivery of T23 upkeeps.”

The Type 23 frigates were originally intended to begin being replaced by new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates by the mid-2020s. However, delays in shipbuilding schedules mean that some of the older warships must remain in service longer than planned, requiring extensive maintenance and capability updates.

Eagle explained that the spending covers “a planned series of upkeep periods in order to maintain ship condition and to introduce, where appropriate, capability updates.”

Among the major upgrades delivered during these refits are:

  • New radar and electronic warfare systems
  • Hull and structural repairs
  • Upgrades to weapons and sensors
  • Improvements to propulsion systems

These efforts aim to keep the Type 23 fleet operational until they are gradually phased out by the incoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates over the next decade.

A Long-Term Investment

The Government also noted that some of the spending includes refits that began before 2014, making it difficult to separate exact figures for each individual ship.

While £1 billion over a decade may seem like a substantial investment in older vessels, maintaining a capable fleet is seen as vital to Royal Navy operations—particularly as the UK continues to prioritise anti-submarine warfare and global maritime security.

Tom Dunlop
Tom Dunlop
Tom has spent the last 13 years working in the defence industry, specifically military and commercial shipbuilding. His work has taken him around Europe and the Far East, he is currently based in Scotland.

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18 COMMENTS

  1. It’s not a viable thing this far down the line now.
    The 8 we have left have been money pits for too long now, T26/31 should have been here by now, Those Government bods should all be the first in line to join up if things do go wrong.

    Just don’t make any of them in charge.

    • David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg. Let’s not shy away from naming the culprits. Theresa May could have speeded things up and isn’t entirely blameless, but she couldn’t walk or chew gum, much less both simultaneously. Then there’s Fox, Hammond and Fallon: useless all.

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  2. It is what governments do sadly. Not replace the things that need replacing, get rid of things that need keeping (Harrier for the carriers) and delaying everything else so that someone else has to pay for it (Generally the tax payer because these things never get cheaper). I’m not going to point a finger at any one party or group because in my book they are all equally guilty.

  4. We have been given no choice but to pour more money in, almost destroy the Royal Navy or both. Seems they chose both.

  5. I’m suspicious of how low that number is including the ARTISAN and sonar upgrades.

    TBH I don’t believe it.

    With all that rolled in £2Bn would be my guesstimate.

    • I agree it’s really fishy, when they cancelled Northumberland’s they said it would save £120 million, it just doesn’t compute. I have to wonder if they are either just counting the cost of the 8 remaining or just the upkeep periods. I’d really ask questions as to what this actually includes excludes. How many had the upgraded Marine Speys and new DG setups ?

      • “A further £63.7 million is currently contractually committed for the delivery of T23 upkeeps.”

        That’s not the amount they expect to spend, just what they are committed to spend. If they cancel all refits (probably including Kent), that’s what it will cost. Richmond alone (like Northumberland) would probably cost more than that to get another five years service.

    • Ahh yes, the phrase “lies, damned lies and statistics” popularized by American Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) becomes an immediate consideration once any bureaucrat or politician is maneuvered into answering an uncomfortable question re policy and/or funding. In Western democracies, corporal and capital punishment have been discouraged as a remedy for this behavior. This is also in marked contrast to the autocracies/dictatorships, wherein the ruling class simply eliminates the sources of annoying questions. In this instance, greatly prefer Western customs and procedures. 🤔😉😁

  8. Dither and Delay always cost you. All
    Governments have been the same this century. As soon as the Cold War ended the eye of Government was removed from the Defence Strategy and Operational Budget. Sadly not the first time this has happened but hopefully the last!!

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