The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Royal Navy is reviewing options for replacing its Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), which are due to retire in 2028.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the Navy “constantly reviews out-of-service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking.”
While specific decommissioning dates for individual ships remain classified, Pollard confirmed that “the class out-of-service date for OPV Batch 1 is 2028.”
The assessment forms part of a wider review of future naval capability needs under the Strategic Defence Review 2025 and the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. Pollard stated that “the Royal Navy continues to assess its future capability requirements in accordance with the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Investment Plan.”
The Batch 1 River-class OPVs, commissioned between 2003 and 2007, have served primarily in fishery protection, maritime security, and training roles around the UK and overseas territories. They were succeeded by the more advanced Batch 2 River-class vessels, which feature greater endurance, improved accommodation, and flight decks capable of operating Wildcat helicopters.
The decision will also tie into the “always on” shipbuilding model outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, aimed at sustaining the UK’s naval industrial base through continuous construction and innovation. Further detail on the potential successor programme is expected to emerge through the Defence Investment Plan.
Give it 5 mins someone will be suggesting a Mk41 armed combat corvette as their replacement
Anything less than Naval Strike Missiles and a ram bow is frankly unacceptable
I want atleast 2 Dark Eagle Hypersonics per OPV thanks.
Option 1 – a Flower class corvette
Option 2 – a Japanese human torpedo
Option 3 – a pedalo boat with a harpoon gun
Option 4 – an unsinkable bathtub armed with a .50 HMG
Option 5 – a Klepper with an RPG
Buy an extra frigate or two, lose the Sea Ceptor launchers if they’re an issue and run them as large patrol frigates to replace the Batch 2 OPVs abroad. Bring the Batch 2 OPVs (some of them) home to replace the three Batch 1. Unfortunately, finding the crew for those newer frigates will be tricky, given that the crews from the three retiring vessels would only just cover a single new frigate.
Or see if BAE are still able to build more Batch 2 OPVs. Something tells me that might be out of reach though.
For me there should be an increased number of smaller OPVs. I know most people want bigger because Atlantic weather, increased endurance, etc, but I’d rather have quantity to work in collaboration with the P8s and Protectors. We shouldn’t have to send out frigates every time to monitor Russian ships.
Perhaps going for a multi-hull design could help mitigate concerns over seaworthiness. If that can be done off the shelf.
Umm, lets see a bit heavier armed would be better, at least with air defence or anti missile defence for its self. Mind you knowing the things in the MOD might just gap them and do nothing whilst talking about it in MOD speak and dream up a project name and have a few meeting, paid industry open days but do nothing else like most of the Armed forces kit its just a foever, may be later, may be one day wish least.
And someone suggest anti air missiles… lemme fill my bingo
I like the idea of a stripped down Type 31 as I have seen mentioned, just keep a single Bofors 40mm and that should give a decent enough defence against drones and fast attack craft of varying types. It’s relatively inexpensive and a large flexible ship with long endurance.
Dear George-san
Thanks for the post. Looking into the Defence Minister’s comment, I even thought that he is talking about early retirement of River B1. But you mentioned their possible replacements. Are there some “other” information, which made you think so?
These are very useful vessels despite the hate they are a vital piece in island defence so hopefully they can be replaced, maybe 4-5 more B2s or dare I say a minimally crewed B3 with more adaptability with the upcoming unmanned systems. This option fits in with the shipbuilding strategy and would be relatively inexpensive compared to other ideas floating around plus the work would hopefully pass to the smaller shipyards.
Hello fellow thinker !
Makes so much sense doesn’t it. 👌👌👌
What hate? I think all would agree the Rivers are useful vessels, the Batch 2 especially.
Hate is too strong a word, but the general negativity and mirth around anything the MoD or HMG say is due to the MoD and HMG THEMSELVES, by their endless ability to delay, spend more than necessary with inefficiency, and leave things to the last moment gapping assets rather than having replacements arriving as kit leaves service.
That did not happen in earlier years as far as I recall, until the late 90s and 2000s.
Sentry. Sentinel. Hercules. Defender. Islander. Sea King HC4. Puma. Sea Harrier. Harrier GR5/7/9. Tornado F3. Tornado GR4. Jaguar. AS90 gun. CVRT. Wave Class. Fort Class. Older Fort Class. T22 Batch 3. LPDs. LPH. Argus.
Just some examples of assets removed, cut, retired, rationalised, with no ordered replacement entering service, or the capability just gapped altogether.
But, I suggest, that is the intent, as they make in year savings and ignore the costs down the road incurred by keeping assets going and extending build times for some other government.
Just one of many reasons why so many are sick to the back teeth with it.
Means very little. At best they’ll designate the upcoming MCM motherships as dual purpose with an OPV role.
So 3 ships (likely a version of the Norwegian Vanguard design) will replace 3 OPV’s and until recently 15 MCMV’s!
One would like to think, with an out of service date of 2028, this process should be well advanced??
Fell off my chair there.
We are very short of escorts and cannot afford many more than the 19 currently planned. We have tried to get around that by using the River 2s as overseas gunboats but with only a little 30mm cannon.and no hangar, they have little wartime value. The River 1s are good only for coastal patrol and fishery protection. We need to be looking at replacing them with a more capable minor warship that can play a more useful wartime role.
After building the River 1s and Clyde, BAE built a larger version for Oman, the Khareef-class corvette. 2,600 tonnes displacement, as opposed to River 2s 2,000 tonnes, 30′ longer, 3 kts faster, larger complement, but a complete difference in armament.
Instead.of a 30mm popgun and some GPMGs, Khareef has:
A 76mm cannon
2 x 30mm cannons
12 x VL MICA SAM
8 x Exocet 111 SSM
A hangar for a medium helicopter.
Suddenly, it becomes a more useful addition to a fleet.
That is not exactly the weapons fit we need, but add some basic sonar, TAS and a couple of UUVs and we would have a useful ASW capability that would be a bonus in Eastlant, a useful convoy escort if needed and a very capable patrol ship for the Gib/W Afria, Caribbean and Pacific stations.
Other ENATO maritime nations are in the same boat and we could learn from them.
Italy and France are replacing their older OPVs with a Common European Corvette, with half a dozen other NATO members participating in the planning and development. It will have a displacement of 3,400 tonnes and a far better weapons fit-out than the River 2. They are thus making up for their general shortage of escorts.
I think we should be looking.at going down the same path, for the same reason. Basically, replace the Rivers as they get to their OSDs, between 2027 and 2040, with a class of 8 more capable corvettes. So bring the R2s back to the UK to replace the R1s, and replace them in the overseas patrol role by the corvettes.
I can already hear Hugo gnashing his teeth ref cost and probably manning. But we need to factor in that, if the core budget increases to 3.5% by 2035, that will be a 50% increase on what we have now..So despite all the other claims on the budget, there will be some more money for minor warships, including corvettes, MCMVs and deep sea survey.
We can’t just ignore the planned increase and say nothing can be done. The fast development of the Euro corvette and the buy-in to it is what we should be looking to match.
The Common European Corvette looks a little like the BAe Cutlass that they proposed for the T31 competition. Which I believe was based on the Omani khareef, which IIRC was based on the B2 River class.
Perhaps something like the Cutlass could be a modern day Flower class. Where it can do convoy protection, support ASW, help with AAW along with all the other requirements for a OPV. But on a much leaner manned crew. But built by smaller yards around the UK.
Stop assessing and buy three more T31’s Simple.
Not simple, that’s 300 crew
A B3 run of 5 for the same price as a T26 would make sense to this Halfwit.
Wildcat Hanger for the long term deployments.
They could choose a rowboat and I can guarantee it won’t be in service before the current OPV’s are due to retire.
Buy up some second hand Freedom class? Slightly higher crewing requirements, but also a good deal more capability.
Why do you hate the RN so much to inflict that on them?
My prediction is they will just withdraw some or all the River B2s and the RN will be another 3 assets down.
Yeah, that’s my feeling too. I’m not quite sure how they expect to produce three new, domestically built warships by 2028.
We are very short of escorts and cannot afford many more than the 19 currently planned. We have tried to get around that by using the River 2s as overseas gunboats but with only a little 30mm cannon.and no hangar, they have little wartime value. The River 1s are good only for coastal patrol and fishery protection. We need to be looking at replacing them with a more capable minor warship that can play a more useful wartime role.
After building the River 1s and Clyde, BAE built a larger version for Oman, the Khareef-class corvette. 2,600 tonnes displacement, as opposed to River 2s 2,000 tonnes, 30′ longer, 3 kts faster, larger complement, but a complete difference in armament.
Instead.of a 30mm popgun and some GPMGs, Khareef has:
A 76mm cannon
2 x 30mm cannons
12 x VL MICA SAM
8 x Exocet 111 SSM
A hangar for a medium helicopter.
Suddenly, it becomes a more useful addition to a fleet.
That is not exactly the weapons fit we need, but add some basic sonar, TAS and a couple of UUVs and we would have a useful ASW capability that would be a bonus in Eastlant, a useful convoy escort if needed and a very capable patrol ship for the Gib/W Afria, Caribbean and Pacific stations.
Other ENATO maritime nations are in the same boat and we could learn from them.
Italy and France are replacing their older OPVs with a Common European Corvette, with half a dozen other NATO members participating in the planning and development. It will have a displacement of 3,400 tonnes and a far better weapons fit-out than the River 2. They are thus making up for their general shortage of escorts.
I think we should be looking.at going down the same path, for the same reason. Basically, replace the Rivers as they get to their OSDs, between 2027 and 2040, with a class of 8 more capable corvettes. So bring the R2s back to the UK to replace the R1s, and replace them in the overseas patrol role by the corvettes.
I can already hear Hugo gnashing his teeth ref cost and probably manning. But we need to factor in that, if the core budget increases to 3.5% by 2035, that will be a 50% increase on what we have now..So despite all the other claims on the budget, there will be some more money for minor warships, including corvettes, MCMVs and deep sea survey.
We can’t just ignore the planned increase and say nothing can be done. The fast development of the Euro corvette and the buy-in to it is what we should be looking to match.
You realise you’re fitting them out as much at the Type 31?
2028 leaves us no time to come up with a completely new design so their replacement would have to be completely OTS that represents an acceptable compromise design for the RN. With no further orders for ships through the yard in Rosyth (after the current 5 T31s), what existing designs could Babcock’s build for this requirement?
More batch 2 Rivers would seem the obvious choice- they have proved pretty reliable. Does anyone know what they really cost to build, stripping out the TOBA subsidy.