Work is being undertaken to mitigate any potential impact from COVID-19 on the Type 31 programme.
Douglas Chapman, the Shadow SNP Spokesperson for Small Business, Enterprise and Innovation, asked via a Parliamentary written question:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the timescale of the Type 31e frigate project.”
Jeremy Quin, The Minister of State at Ministry of Defence, responded:
“The Department is working with Babcock and its suppliers to de-risk and mitigate any potential for impact to the Type 31 programme due to COVID-19. Most of the current key outputs for the programme are focused on design, infrastructure development and supply chain mobilisation, and work continues within the Government’s safe working requirements.”
Hopefully it’ll get enough weapons to socially distance from the enemy!
Seriously though, hopefully if we don’t get a second lockdown the impact will be negligible fingers crossed
If it doesn’t get the weapons then even more reason to social distance from the enemy.
Currently watching the ‘Sailsbury Poisonings’ which was an act of war, that could have killed hundreds if not thousands. Whatever the financial impact on UK spending due to COVID-19, we simply can’t drop our guard against state-sponsored terror. Other Russian activity needs a resolute response from the UK, and that can only be achieved by maintaining military programmes and deliver them on time.
what annoys me for years our defence has been plundered due to the all cost issues,we should have had 12 type 45 but it was cut to 8 then 6 all because of cost,the same as more or less happened to the type 26 we get 8 if they don,t play around with numbers when we get to build,well one has started to take shape,with 5 type 31 I would not be surprised if that number shrunk,but yet we can pull billions out to pay furlough wipe off NHS historic debt pay for ppe that was no good etc makes me wonder why we could not afford the right gear from the get go,not just for the royal navy but for all branches of the armed forces,just look at whats happened in 24 hours North Korea threatening to move in to the DMZ after destroying the nice refurbished centre for talks to be held in,at the same time India and China have opened fire on each other on there border dispute and killed a few of each other,what is next and are we ready and do we have the equipment i do not think so myself
I agree that international crises tend to happen very quickly and the global hotspots don’t appear to be cooling any time soon! Maybe the old days of cutting defence at will, are coming to an end? During the late 50s-70s a lot of UK forces assets were basically doing routine work, and could be stood down without too much fuss. Today, readiness is the keyword at the MOD just as it was at the height of the Cold War. As I pointed out, the Russian attack on an English town was an act of war, the only fact that it wasn’t a direct military incident, stopped escalation.
At the present time we have no alternative but to remain neutral. We have a royal navy that can barely put out half a dozen boats ‘of any description’ at any one time. We don’t have enough ships to patrol our own islands never mind overseas. The RN needs an enormous investment for the UK to be a powerful respected force once again. I believe the T26 will be far better than the T45 platform in its capabilities but needs to have at least 12 hulls. Having said that it’s basically a destroyer with amazing ASW capabilities so really with the 8 planned we’ll have 14 destroyers. BUT, the type 31 needs to be a credible platform possibly building up to 12, and half of them with ASW capability.
Well said Maurice.
Yes Maurice….an international outrage that saw numerous Russian ‘diplomats’ expelled by Western nations. However, once the dust settled and Russian financial assets (many of dubious origin) were questioned….a deafening silence ensued. As the Russian Ambassador to the Court of St James scoffed, “I see that it is business as usual”.
A firm statement had to be made, but it had to be limited. If we completely shut Russia off, what would have happened? There’s every chance they could end up like North Korea becoming a more nervous pariah state, which for us and the rest of World could be disastrous. The old adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer has a lot of truth in it!
By ‘mitigate’ I am sure some of the RN bashing press will be calling for the Security Review to mitigate by cancelling either the T26 or T31 programs. Citing well documented ‘black hole’ in the defence budget and the shortfall in recruiting to the service.
These issues ARE precient. But, numbers are increasing and recruits want to be allocated to 21st Century vessels. Also the newer vessels are more automated are require fewer crew the earlier vessels.
The Duke Class have been fantastic. World renowned and well respected by our allies and feared by our enemies. However, they are really getting long in the tooth. Products of the last quarter of the last century not the first quarter of this. Continual updates have updated they – the latest will keep them limping on until the T31 & T26 programs run through to completion.
The T26 will be a first class vessels.
The T31 will be excellent multi deployable constabulary vessels.
With the Batch 2 rivers, the QE class, Astute class, Deadnought class, T31, T26 we will have a great navy. Add in the other types of vessels and the updates to the RFA.
Support our wonderful RN
Bravo Rob. Well said.
If the defence review was positive , a faster build rate for T26 would be great and 1 extra T26 to bring the total up to 9 and keep BAE busy till t45 replacement.
Ideally it would be good to see investment in shipbuilding as part of economic recovery investment. And paid for in addition to defence budget so 6xT31 7×31 3xSSS plus Argus replacement paid for i this way and managed outside of MOD.
Never going to happen. After the defence review next year we will be very, very lucky to keep just what we have. There will be no new money and the cuts – which we all know there will be – can be conveniently ‘justified’ by COVID-19.
Instead of every 5yrs having a defence review, why don’t our politicians call it for what it is. “Everyone we are going to have a defence cut every 5yrs” because that’s what each and every review amounts to. Call me cynical but I am sick and tired of the constant cut, cut, cut of our Armed Forces. We are hollowed out and threadbare but no-one in the halls of power seems to give a damn. Lip-service at best and it needs to stop.
I wonder if someone could answer a few questions possibly even Babcock if they read UKDJ. So here goes,
1.The Type 31 is going to be equipped with the 57mm gun however the design is capabile of having in the same postion anything upto a 5 inch gun. Is the framing deck structure and space still going to be for the 5 inch or a lighter weight structure for he 57mm only?
2. The original base design for the Type 31 has 5 postions port and starboard for anything upto 40mm guns. Again I assume that these would be hardend postions are they going to be kept?
3. The aft raise structure where the aft Sea Ceptor Data Link is is on the original design for the S1850M Radar. Is the structure going to be built to the same standard with the associated trunking or space for trunking, or will it be of a lighter weight?
4. The base design for the Arrowhead 140 has a Atlas ASO 94 hull mounted sonar, will the Type 31 have this space allocated also for a hull mounted sonar.
5. The base design for the Type 31 has midships its main weapons fit. This fit includes 4 blocks of Mk41 VLS and 2 block of 12 Mk56 VLS plus upto 16 Harpoons. Will the space still be available in the Type 31s again with its allocated trunking space.
6. On the Type 31 there is space below the flight deck for ISO containers, could a containerised Thales CAPTAS 4 be installed, would ,there be an allocation of space for the VDS running gear?
The Type 31 has depending on how they are built the possibility to become a heavy GP frigate. If built with future growth development in mind they could as the nations finacies improve develop into the core frigate fleet. I did have a look at how they could be equipped if money was not a question but still half the price of a T26.