The Ministry of Defence has provided a fresh update on the construction of the Royal Navy’s new fleet of Type 26 Global Combat Ships, with five of the eight frigates now under various stages of build on the Clyde.
In a written response to a parliamentary question from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Minister of State Maria Eagle said the department “continues to work closely with BAE Systems (BAES) to ensure the Type 26 programme remains on track to meet all user requirements and deliver world-class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates to replace the Type 23.”
The update highlights ongoing progress since the steel-cutting ceremony for HMS Sheffield on 28 November 2024.
HMS Cardiff is now structurally complete and has joined HMS Glasgow in the dry dock at Scotstoun for outfitting. Meanwhile, “unit and block assembly on HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham continues,” Eagle noted.
HMS Glasgow is expected to reach Initial Operating Capability in 2028. “Construction of all eight frigates [is] expected to be complete by the mid-2030s,” the Minister added.
The Type 26 is designed to provide cutting-edge anti-submarine capability and will eventually replace the ageing Type 23 fleet. The ships are being built by BAE Systems at its Govan and Scotstoun yards in Glasgow, forming a key part of the UK’s long-term naval shipbuilding strategy.
I’ve seen that BAE have been recruiting more apprentices. I hope this investment plus the build-hall are an indication that they’ve been assured of a continuous flow of new orders to keep both the Govan and Scotstoun facilities economically viable as a production line.
Unless there is an order from Norway or perhaps 2 more Type 26 ordered for the U.K. what is BAE going to do from the early 2030s as the Type 26 build programme starts to rundown with a new frigate factory and enlarged workforce. Whilst the obvious answer might seem to start work on the Type 83 which in the perfect world would perhaps allow the first two to complement the Type 45 rather than replace them and bring destroyer numbers up to the 8 realistically required. Alternatives might include work on blocks for the MRSS or another gap in build with all its downsides.
Given, the lack of a full spectrum BMD system for the U.K. progressing quickly with the Type 83 would seem the natural choice but is that going to happen given pace of development of the Type 83 design. Hopefully SDR might provide some clarity.
World class cutting edge state of the art frigates, the envy of the World, no other country has this capability and in such huge numbers. BZ RN.
I am of the opinion that the UK should have a follow on order of a slightly modified Type 26 focused on air defence, essentially the Canadian sized variant equipped with upgraded Type 45 Sampson and s1850 radars, Sylver A70NG (same 48 count as T45), 2x 57mm instead of the current 114mm naval gun on the T45, install NSM launchers, stingray torpedo launchers, the nose sonar, wildcat or Merlin helicopter. Price of this follow on order would surely be no more than the current order in today’s pricing. This follow on order would keep production line hot and allow for the smooth retiring of T45 next decade while allowing for maturation of the T83 which should now be designated as an anti-ballistic and cruise missile cruiser.
In essence the T26 design evolves in an Arleigh Burke type destroyer / high end frigate while the T31 design is used as the low end frigate either for ASW using USVs, helicopters and towed arrays, and ASuW frigate armed with either the 57mm (GP or ASW role) or 127mm (ASuW land attack role) with either the MK 41 or Sylvers VLS (24 or 32 cells).
The Royal Navy should then select a hull design OPV light corvette / sloop class vessels that range from 800 to 2500 tons. This could be an upgrade of the BAE River class hull design but something new more versatile and akin to the Dutch Sigma class design concept would be better.
So a 4 ship hull design approach, the T83 cruisers, T26 destroyer high end frigate; the T31 variants mid to low end frigates, and finally and OPV / corvette / sloop for the very low end constabulary role. This approach would keep the Uk warship building program active especially if the UK ensured that another builder or builders besides BAE and Babcock was builder(s) of the OPV/corvette/sloop vessels for the Royal Navy, coast guard / border patrol, and pushing an export driven program of these smaller vessels to developing nations in Africa; Asia; Middle East and Latin America.
Just my take on keeping UK shipbuilding active into the 2050s with a number of these designs procured by RN in whatever numbers needed or affordable to them while actively marketing these designs in the export market. So far T26 and T31 have done relatively well in the export markets. The RN keeping these lines hot with various iterations of these 2 designs plus the lower end modular OPV/corvette/sloop design I think will help keep RN ship procurement costs down. How they are equipped is another matter.
Like it, always thought a T26 Destroyer variant is a missed opportunity.
How possible would it be to accelerate the builds if needed?
Not easy. There’s a lack of skilled workers.
“ HMS Glasgow is expected to reach Initial Operating Capability in 2028”
Whilst these are complex warships I do find the glacial rate of fitout hard to believe.
I appreciate it is deliberately slowed to produce drumbeat in the program…..but…..getting #1 into trucks and debugged has got to be a priority?
We really need to be placing additional orders both for Babcock and BAES so they have confidence and can get the cadence and costs down
If we don’t do something soon we are heading for another gap just at a point when we have got this into some sort of sustainable shape
All 8 plus the other cheaper 5 frigates, the Navy is doing ok better than the Army. At least 1 out 3 is better than 0 out of 3.
I wonder if Maria Eagle gets bored answering the same questions with the same vague answers every week.
George is it time for a spot of UKDJ drone flying perhaps ? Just asking 😉
Twelve years from 1998 to 2010 thinking about it, five years from 2010 to 2015 trying to work out what it was going to be and twenty years between 2016 and 2035 delivering eight ships. Steady progress? Contrast this with the latest Japanese frigates. Six ships in eight years.
The eagle has landed talks as if these ships are just around the corner. Mid 2030s for all eight of them to be operational,maybe they won’t be so cutting edge by then.
What nick and how many T23s will be usable by then……T31s will need to be quick
Why can’t we build them as fast as China, that is our main problem we will face.
Its taken longer to build one of these frigates than it it took to build one of the QE class aircraft carriers . Why ?
We are going to need more than 8. Surely the bean counters can squeeze a few more out of the programme?
They really should just order 2 or 3 more T26 along with 2 or 3 more T31 frigates . There would be so many advantages to this for industry efficiencies, expanding navy and let’s be honest there would be buyers for any surplus ships . It is so obvious the uk is woefully short of ships even when the T26 and T31 are built . We will have 6 x T45 , 8 x T26 and 5 x T31 equalling 19 ships . At best even then about 7 to 9 ships active at any one time when considering constant maintenence and upgrades of ships . Which is clearly not enough for Asia , middle east , north Atlantic , south Atlantic and general support duties . Originally the uk was going to order 13 T26. Granted with the super quick modernisation of drones missiles and satellites for weaponry the sea scape is changing but ships are still very useful.
We need another 4 at least; then 12 T 83s. The more the cheaper, then export some.
We loudly tell the world how brilliant we are but the pace of our industry seems glacial while everyone else is out-thinking, out-developing, out-building and outnumbering us. There seems no political will to defend our nation when they could be spending the money on peerages, pay rises for themselves and of course mile after mile of unused bike lanes.
Everything I see from the comrades in modern government suggests they want this country as open as possible to attack, and so disgusted at its own history that nobody will sign up to defend it.
Mind you, that stops people from singing “Britannia Rules the Waves” which saves a few quid for the expense claims.
Is there any end to this good news? As reported elsewhere on UKDJ, according to Navantia their ( investment ) programme in Belfast ‘will support not only the FSS project but also position the yard to lead future domestic and international naval contracts.’ Happy days are here again for RN growth. Will we need to reserve some anchorages in Scapa Flow or even Lough Swilly?