Home Sea Naval support project extension on track, minister says

Royal Navy closely monitors Russian warships and submarine in UK waters — Image of HMS Somerset (centre) and HMS St Albans (left) with a Merlin helicopter operated by 814 Squadron seen flying alongside (right). Naval helicopters and ships HMS Somerset, HMS St Albans, HMS Mersey and RFA Tideforce were dispatched to shadow four Russian Navy vessels, including a surfaced submarine, in the English Channel and North Sea. Portsmouth-based HMS Mersey were activated three times between March 29 and April 7, working with a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron and tanker Tideforce, to report on the movements of Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich, Ropucha-class landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin and Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar. Separately, Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset intercepted Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk and accompanying oiler Kama, near the coast of Brittany, France, and kept close watch using her powerful array of radars and sensors through the Channel and into the North Sea. Sister ship HMS St Albans briefly joined Somerset as part of a formal handover as the latter begins four months of operations in the North Atlantic to monitor submarine movements and protect critical undersea infrastructure.

Naval support project extension on track, minister says

April 17, 2026

The extension of the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP) is on track, according to Defence Minister Luke Pollard.

Responding to a written parliamentary question from Ben Obese-Jecty, Pollard said “good progress has been made on both programmes,” confirming that contract placement is proceeding as planned.

“Contract placement is on track to extend the Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP) to cover the period from April 2026 up to October 2028,” he said.

The extension is intended to maintain continuity in naval support arrangements ahead of a transition to the Naval Support Integrated Global Network (NSIGN) programme, which is expected to take forward wider transformation efforts.

Pollard said the move will “ensure a smooth transition to the Naval Support Integrated Global Network (NSIGN) Programme, which will continue the maritime support transformation started by the FMSP.”

He added that supplier negotiations for NSIGN are ongoing.

2 COMMENTS

FieldLander April 17, 2026 At 09:37

They will need to get a shit on, it is the 17th April now.

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- FieldLander April 17, 2026 At 09:38
  
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The extension of the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP) is on track, according to Defence Minister Luke Pollard.

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