HMS Protector towed home after propulsion defects
The Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS Protector could not sail from Teesside to Devonport under her own power this month because of propulsion defects, and was towed instead so that engineers can work out what to do with her.
Type 31 costs rising in labour and the supply chain
Inflation is pushing up the cost of the Type 31 frigate programme across labour and the wider supply chain, and the Ministry of Defence is assessing what that does to the affordability of the programme as a whole.
Date no longer given for DragonFire on Royal Navy destroyers
The 2027 date for DragonFire on a Type 45 was given three times. Asked this week by what date it will be fitted, ministers referred back to an answer without one.
British ships defy Chinese warnings in South China Sea
Two Royal Navy patrol ships have finished a ten day exercise in the South China Sea alongside Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore, working with fifth generation fighters, a Singaporean submarine and New Zealand boarding teams.
Thirty-three British warships left service since 2010
Thirty-three Royal Navy warships have been taken out of operational service since 2010, of which eight have been sold, fifteen recycled and ten are still waiting to be disposed of.
Apprentices BAE and Babcock cannot take offered elsewhere
Strong apprenticeship applicants who cannot be offered a place by BAE Systems or Babcock will be put in front of smaller firms in the same communities.
Streeting declines to discuss Faslane shelters
The Secretary of State for Defence has declined to discuss reported ballistic shelters at Faslane in open session, telling the Defence Committee there is a difference between what others report and what the department is willing to say.
Cable saboteurs to face up to fourteen years in jail
Those who intentionally damage critical undersea energy and telecoms infrastructure would face prison sentences of up to fourteen years and unlimited fines under proposals published this week.
Ministers monitoring Type 31 schedule risk with Babcock
The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor delivery performance for the Type 31 frigate programme and is working with the company to manage schedule risks.
Type 45 extension not part of the plan, committee told
The Ministry of Defence does not want to extend the life of the Type 45 destroyers and would rather spend the money on new technology, according to evidence given to the Defence Committee.
