The Ministry of Defence has declined to give a commissioning date for the Royal Navy’s first Type 32 frigate, saying future capability plans are being considered as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
In a written answer to Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, who asked when the first Type 32 would enter service, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the department was “continuously evaluating its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy’s fleet.”
He noted that under the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy is moving toward a “Hybrid Navy,” combining crewed and uncrewed vessels. Pollard said this shift would be supported by modular and reconfigurable technologies, allowing for “faster, smarter procurement and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect.”
He added that future naval procurement decisions would be set out under the Defence Investment Plan, stating that “it would be inappropriate to provide further detail at this time.”
The Type 32 programme was first announced in 2020 as part of the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, intended to follow the ongoing Type 26 and Type 31 frigate builds. Its role and design remain under review as the Navy adapts to new operational concepts and automation technologies.
As previously reported by the UK Defence Journal in January, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Type 32 remains in its concept phase, with no defined timetable for design or procurement.
Since then, there has been little sign of progress on the project while decisions await the outcome of the wider Defence Investment Plan review.
This has looked like a fantasy project ever since Boris announced it. We have no clear idea what the mission might be anyway. If we want to icrease the number of frigates without breaking the bank, how about a Batch 2 Type 31 with a proper ASW capability, or is that far too logical to ever happen?
Logic is not a word understood in gooberment or political circles.
There is a need for a platform that can deploy drones for ASW and MCM missions in a contested environment. That’s what T32 was outlined for.
On the positive sight T32 is still being considered and is not totally dead.
There is no money!
Chagos, rising wages and inflation means there already is an extra £2bn hole that needs filling before we even begin to look at things like T32. There isn’t even an order for RCH155 despite the army only having 14 interim Archer howitzers.
Defence is utterly broken. A $70bn budget should get us more than a fleet of escorts.
They won’t place an order yet for RCH-155 until they are sure of the jobs it’s going to create or maintain in the U.K., as they’ll want them produced here.
So that means Rheinmetall getting the new gun barrel factory built – which will supply both Chally 3 and then RCH-155.
They’ll also want to see how well U.K. Boxer manufacturing is going, as RCH-155 uses the same chassis. While the first 100 were mainly built in Germany the remaining 500+ will be built here. Plus the army is interested in at least 3 more variants, such as self-propelled mortar, bridging, recovery.
That’s all really sensible to build-up and maintain industrial capacity in peacetime, but it doesn’t fit with the urgency of NATO possible being at war within the next few years…
Honestly, I’m still convinced this was a slip of the tongue that they just never wanted to admit to, and continuous governments have not wanted to be the ones who look like they are cancelling a project.
I agree. And it’s a myth that’s useful for the MOD to keep running because they can look good hanging all sorts of fantasy projects off it that they can ‘cancel’ when it eventually suits them. “Hey look, the government have saved billions cancelling Boris’ silly project.”
Quite agree with you, the Polish type 31 frigates have hull and towed sonar.
/googles what is word salad -and please give an example > “shift would be supported by modular and reconfigurable technologies, allowing for “faster, smarter procurement and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect”
maybe we should send some of these grand orators to Ukraine with a speaker phone because they will quite possibly put the Russian troops to sleep or kill them with boredom
So It’s taken 5 years so far, just to say/confirm nothing is happening.
Anyone know how much money has been spent getting us this far ?
Nothing will ever change, doesn’t matter what government is in power, no party will truely take defense seruously.
Feels like the West is hoping Ukraine does enough damage to ruzzia they wont be able to fight for years.
I fear you are right, if this actually war ends the Govt will be shi..ting itself hoping all those big words don’t make them the next target with only paper tigers as a shield. It’s like being at the back bigging it up, hoping beyond hope the kids in front are tough enough to stop the big bully getting through to you.
The excuse will be we won’t need as many conventional warships as we now have a hybrid navy.
I can see it coming.
Question.
Can these mass of uncrewed or optimally crewed assets deploy thousands.of miles away and operate in the same sea states of a Frigate or Destroyer?
As if they’re only for the Atlantic Bastion we have in effect withdrawn to a defensive stance, leaving the sea lanes of the world to others or our small fleet which is needed to be mothers to the uncrewed stuff.
Ha, Toy Boats capsize rather easily on a bloody boating lake, hell I even have trouble playing Pirates of the Caribbean in the bath.
We really don’t need that mental image 🫣
I keep getting that image of the Iranians towing those US sail drones (which I now hear the US are planning to arm) back to port while real ships try to stop them. Hardly encouraging in face of this drone navy we are planning or even barely manned versions, which would be even more humiliating if they were captured. Remember the Marines getting taken by Iran years back which we were totally unable to stop so what confidence can we have in these circumstances even if there is a frigate near by and not wanting to provoke a war?
Just had another even more humiliating thought, I can see a future Daily Mail Headline. “1000 illegal immigrants arrive off Dorset Coast on RN drone ship that was ‘mislaid’ on Tuesday”. Then the headline 6 months later “No one found accountable for drone ship loss that brought known ISIS terrorists to Britain now living it up in ‘Princely’ fashion in Royal Lodge”.
Any others, or do we need a Committee?
You’d think that “surely” those in the MoD are grown ups who consider all eventualities.
My worry always remains that HMG conclude that, yes, that threat exists, but we’ll do it anyway as its cheaper so we’ll take the risk.
It’s all a balance juggled against the threat and what they are prepared to spend.
Here we go again…
Amazing, no actiion this day…AGAIN. The so called DIP is just going to be a press release and nothing else.
There is a possibility that 2 of the T26 frigates under construction might go to Norway’s navy and no replacements ordered.
Navy lookout site discusses this.
Ah but that’s because we can then call on Norways.
It’s all about Ship Building, Aircraft Building and Manufacturing to sell not to buy any ourselves.
That’s how it’s even being presented, putting money into defence to rebuild British Industry, after all we can’t present it as providing the means to actually defend ourselves, because that’s a provocation apparently. Reminds me of the policy of putting money into British Leyland just to keep jobs going over any attempt to modernise the business or actually build worthwhile cars people wanted to buy.
Navy Lookout’s source is ‘rumours’.
It would not surprise me if it happened, the first Norway Frigate has to be delivered by 2030.
There’s a ”possibility” I’ll win the EuroMillions lottery too, or that the guy who works down the chip shop really is Elvis…
You can mock, but where is the extra manufacturing capacity for these foreign orders going to come from?
Are these countries going to wait until all of the RNs orders are complete before work starts on their ships ? I doubt it.
Just crack on and churn out a steady supply of T31s and river B3s.
Cheap and relatively simple to build and operate these are useful in the way they will free up high end platforms and can act as a go between unmanned systems. Once they are no longer required sell them on and keep production open for the replacements.
Forget River B3s, continuous build of T31s with regular capability insertions.
T31 only ever existed in Boris Johnson’s imagination. Of much greater importance is MRSS, T83,. OPV replacements and perhaps a few more T31.
*Should be T32 at the start.
I think you did a ‘Boris’ there 🤣
If you don’t know the score by now, you never will.
This government will never publicly scrap planned orders, no no no that would look bad. Far better to kick the can down the road.
“Scalable platforms to increase mass”. So has the Black Swan sloop of war thinking of 2012 morphed into Type 92 drone or Kongsberg Vanguard?
When they announced the MRSS changed from support to strike ship, I had a feeling Type 32 would be scrapped. At this rate I’m worried we might not even end up with 8 Type 26’s.
So what’s the next delaying ‘Vommittee’ after the DIP?
(I think my spell check for once got it right there so decided not to change it, my iPad has clearly gone all Ai on me and more scary has unexpectedly reached AGI, probably been studying my cat).
Someone’s alarm on their phone went off in the MOD to remind us that the Type 32 might be a thing.