New images show HMS Glasgow, the first of the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates, berthed at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow ahead of its formal naming ceremony.
The ship is due to be officially named on 22 May 2025. The Princess of Wales, who has been the vessel’s sponsor since 2021, is expected to conduct the traditional naming ritual by breaking a bottle of whisky against the hull. The ceremony will also be attended by the Prince of Wales.
Here are the images.
Following the naming, HMS Glasgow will continue through its build and outfitting phase before progressing to harbour and sea trials. These trials, set to begin in 2026, will assess propulsion systems, sensors, and other onboard equipment. The ship is expected to enter service with the Royal Navy by 2027.
HMS Glasgow is the first of eight planned Type 26 frigates. Designed with a primary focus on anti-submarine warfare, the vessels are intended to provide protection for the UK’s nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers. The Type 26 platform incorporates a modular mission bay, advanced sensors, and systems designed to support a wide range of naval operations.
The programme is part of a broader effort to modernise the Royal Navy’s surface fleet and supports shipbuilding jobs and industrial activity in the UK.
The Type 26
HMS Glasgow is the first in the Royal Navy’s Type 26 or “City-class” frigates, developed to replace the ageing Type 23 frigates in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. The Type 26 design incorporates features to reduce acoustic signature and enhance endurance, making it particularly suited to hunting submarines in contested waters. The class is also intended to contribute to wider mission sets, including air defence, surface warfare, and general-purpose operations.
Each Type 26 frigate will displace approximately 6,900 tonnes standard and over 8,000 tonnes fully loaded. The ship measures 149.9 metres in length and 20.8 metres in beam. Propulsion is provided through a Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas (CODLOG) system, comprising a Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine, four MTU diesel generators, and two electric motors. This arrangement enables a top speed exceeding 26 knots and a range of over 7,000 nautical miles in diesel-electric mode.
The Type 26 is to be armed with a 48-cell vertical launch system (VLS) for Sea Ceptor air defence missiles and a 24-cell Mk 41 VLS for strike and anti-submarine weapons, potentially including Tomahawk and ASROC. Gun armament includes a 5-inch Mk 45 naval gun, two 30mm DS30M Mk2 guns, and two Phalanx close-in weapon systems. Additional general-purpose and heavy machine guns are fitted as required. Aviation facilities include an enclosed hangar and flight deck capable of operating both Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, with provision for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Sensors and systems include the Type 997 Artisan 3D radar, Kelvin Hughes SharpEye navigation radar, Sonar 2087 towed array, and Type 2150 bow sonar. The ship also features the SCOT-5 satellite communications system and a suite of electronic warfare decoys. A flexible mission bay and modular design allow future capability upgrades or role-specific configurations, enhancing long-term versatility.
Images UK Defence Journal.
Nearly finished, not.
I think it’s time we follow Canada’s lead and upgrade these to destroyers, the Artisan radar and the mark 41 VLS can handle a larger missile with anti ballistic missile capability like Aster 30 block 1.
Moving forward the T26 will be more of an all round surface combatant with high end ASW capabilities and a much more effective AAW capability, type 83 should be designated as a AAW Cruiser with the T31/32 bing actual frigates.
I agree and I’d ensure we get Sea Ceptor ER like the Poles are getting. The Type 83 needs to be the best of its class with good AS sonar set not like the Type 45’s. All this cost money but the price of the Type 26 is a lot more reasonable so I’d order 5 in batch 2, with the final 2 after Norway gets theirs. I’m sure we’ll need them all.
Isn’t it CAMM-MR Poland are getting?
They’re getting both, though I’m unsure as to whether the CAMM-ER will be carried on the frigates as well, or just in the ground-based role.
Given the relative price and that twice as many CAMM-ERs can be mounted, it’s likely they’ll take a mix.
Am keen to see if MoD are going to order either, and more Sky Sabre units. 6 with 3 more planned is woeful compared to the 100 launchers Poland ordered.
Take your point I was surprised just how small HMS Sutherland looked when she was moored against Belfast but these are a different beast altogether at 8000 tons nearer to T-45 than T-23 but I guess the Navy in recent tradition classes anti submarine ships as frigates and Air Warfare ships as Destroyers with so far little regard for size but T-83 is likely as you say to really resemble a Cruiser certainly if they sat it next to Belfast which it will likely dominate in most proportions.
The Canadian River class could be the base form of the type 83 or a better idea is just to order a few more type 26s. We need hulls and weapons afloat on the water as our current force levels are worryingly and scandalously low.
In reality the RN needs to go back and just revert to 13 of these magnificent ships.
We can probably pay for them using the £20 million bunged out way from Brazil for our two amphibious assault ships. That’s a £3 billion capability gap just opened up in our navy.
You’re going to pay for 5 extra ships, each costing between 800 million-1 billion per vessel, with the proceeds of the amphibious assault ship sale to Brazil?
Millions ,Billions ,not much difference.
Small change.
Sadly she still looks far from complete and still awaiting a 5 inch gun barrel., I would have thought the naming ceremony would occur a bit further down the road?
Generally agree with all the 5 comments I see in the forum so far. For a couple of years now, since the unveiling of the Australian and Canadian T26 variants, I have come to the conclusion that the best way forward for the RN to regenerate its escort combatants is to focus on a 4 hull strategy of which 2 are currently in production, the T26 and T31.
The 4 hull or strategy would be for
1. The current 8 T26 ASW being built and commissioned to be followed by the launch of an additional 6 built to the Canadian specification in terms of size, initially as adjuncts but eventual replacements for the T45 destroyers. Call this follow-on destroyers replacements T46, and have them equipped with upgraded stuff from the T45, such as improved radars, the 48-60 VLS systems for the Aster 30NT/1 missile, a 2x 57mm guns, the requisite CIWS etc., helicopters, a hull mounted sonar and stations to operate and receive data from ASW unmanned craft as well as from the ASW frigates, NSM and antisubmarine torpedoes.
2. T31 general purpose frigates completed then design used for follow-on of 5 additional more ASW tune, mine clearing mothership with remote vehicles, the much spoken of T32
3. The T83, a12-15000 ton vessel, which would now be designated as a Cruiser focused on anti-ballistic anti-hypersonic missile defense. The RN might look to partner the Japanese on this project. The T83 can then become a vessel not only for the CSG defense role but also the UK home defense role.
4. Final hull design would either be a new design or evolution of the current Rivers B2 OPVs. I would prefer a new design modeled on the Dutch modular Sigma design which allows for vessels sized from 800 to 3,000 tons. This forth hull would allow for development of Sloops, OPVs, Corvettes, fast missile boats, MCMs, border patrol / coast guard boats.
The UK government could use the 4th hull design to spread work to more UK naval yards for various orders of these small vessels. Also with the T26 and T31 designs the UK now having well tested designs can now focus on lowering construction cost because of a study order book spread over the next 15 years or so. This I believe, with the addition of the small vessels 4th hull variant, would probably attract orders from navies around the world.
Issue of manning these vessels is for another day, but there is a readily available way to man many of these vessels. I will simply say, if the RN is failing to get personnel from the Home Islands (the UK), it should look to its population of colour in the Home Islands, then its oversees territories and finally to the Commonwealth. In the case of the Overseas Territories and Commonwealth the RN can have different pay scales, base their OPVs, patrol boats and GP frigates in the territories where they Patrol. So for example the B2 vessel in the Caribbean can be manned by crews from Crown Territories from the BVI, Anguilla, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, Cayman, Montserrat. It shouldn’t be too difficult to recruit and train 100+ souls to man a B2 on a rotational basis. Officers can be from UK. Same can be done for vessels in the Pacific and Far East, Indian Ocean etc. Also same can be recruited to man the support vessels. Note that the RN can recruit, train and retain thousands of university graduates with engineering and tech degrees for less than half the going rate for a UK secondary school leaver. Times are changing, demographics are changing, the RN needs to change and adapt to the realities of the time.
I don’t agree with all you say but in particular why would you use a type 31 as a mine hunter mother ship. The existing batch 2 OPVs would be up to the job and for use in areas where drone attacks are increasingly likely a decent fit out of air defence weapons would be possible on a hull of this size, call them Corvettes if you need a name but the job doesn’t need a large general purpose frigate to operate across a few miles each day or to deliver mine hunting systems to a new location.
On the T31 mine hunting mothership role, isn’t that what is being proposed as one of the roles of the T32? If that is the case and the T31 is being pushed for the T32 role, then I am only stating what is being proposed by the powers that be. As I state B2 platform is okay but I am thinking that it is less versatile than the Dutch Sigma platform.
I’m mostly in agreement with you, but I think the AH140 design is a much better platform for the second tier AAW ship than T26. It’s a much more cost-effective design and its parent is an AAW frigate, so we know it can support the necessary radar, etc.
For T83, the Japanese are entirely subsumed into the US missile and combat systems, so going along with them would mean abandoning our sovereign capability. It looks like we’re really going to have to go it alone in that regard, unless someone very unexpected decides to develop top tier AAW.
“will simply say, if the RN is failing to get personnel from the Home Islands (the UK), it should look to its population of colour in the Home Islands”
FFS it’s the 21st century not the 1930’s…
The RN recruits eligible British and Commonwealth citizens that regardless of sex or ethnicity. This will upset you, but it doesn’t have a ‘whites first’ policy.
Mr. Spock I am not upset at all. You rather appear to be triggered by my post. Sorry to upset you. All I am suggesting is that the demographic from which the RN has traditionally recruited is declining in terms of available and suitable young people, that is the Grammar or Comprehensive school leaver for non-commission officers and Public School leavers for officers. This group of young people are also increasingly attending and graduating University and thus normally are able to get higher paying jobs once they leave university. On the other hand similarly educated and qualified young people outside the UK can be recruited for less than half the price of the UK graduate. All I am suggesting is that the recruiters should try harder to fill non-critical roles such as manning the OPVs stationed overseas in places like the Caribbean, South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Fleet Auxiliary positions.