The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) has provided an overview of the major shipbuilding programmes it expects to engage in between now and July 2025, according to a recent response to a question posed in the House of Lords.
The NSO has been involved in a range of shipbuilding projects, both formal and informal, and will continue its support in various capacities across several key programmes.
These include major projects within the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy, aimed at enhancing the UK’s naval capabilities.
The NSO’s involvement spans various stages of maturity for these programmes, including:
- Type 26 Build (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Type 31 Build (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Ministry of Defence Police Launches (Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Defence Police)
- Fleet Solid Support (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Defence Marine Services – Next Generation (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Type 31 Support (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Boats In-Service Support 2026 (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy; Army; Strategic Command)
- Naval Support Integrated Global Network (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Programme Euston (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Multi-Role Strike Ship (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Future Air Dominance System (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Commando Force – Surface Manoeuvre (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Future Military Data Gathering (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Mine Hunting Capability (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Strategic Sealift – Future (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
- Submarine Delivery Agency Roll-on, Roll-off (Ministry of Defence; Submarine Delivery Agency)
- Project Powerful (Ministry of Defence; Royal Navy)
“Submarine Delivery Agency Roll-on Roll-off” Pardon? Perhaps the conflation of two separate categories? Explanation requested.
you won’t get one
As others have suggested, couldn’t Albion be used as the Bristol replacement (aka Project Powerful)?
Bristol was too big.
The Albions are vast by comparison.
Ah. I went and had a look at what Bristol provided and where it was sited and I think you are right.
One of the first rivers class will be a good bet when retired ?
I’ve heard they’re looking at the Echos
T-32 void again. I’m starting to believe more and more that was nothing other than Boris mispronouncing T-31 mid speech and the Cons rolled with it for PR purposes.
Me too. Or Boris liked the idea of ’32’ being a bigger (and therefore better) number than ’31’
T32 is aa dockyard myth. like the one about the dicky who mistakenly painted a D Before the ship number on a Type 22 and was never seen again 😁⚓🎁🎁 a very merry Christmas to one and all on UKDY and to all on patrol over the festive season. YOU’RE NOT FORGOTTEN HERE🥲🎁👍👍👍🧑🎄🍺🍺🍺
I think it’s more and more likely T32 will never see the light of day.
It’s Labour’s issue now. Let’s see if they stick to another promise.
Happy Christmas to everyone at UKDJ!
Great report ,clear and well detailed
Really, ? i did not understand any of it, i must be thick
Multo role strike ship? Really?
Multi- typos everywhere
I also wondered if “strike” was an error or a deliberate change in emphasis.
Is it part of their anti copying efforts?
In that case, it’s making the article misleading and changing the meaning entirely.
Does seem to have been written late at night in a rush, though.
It’s not part of anti copying, nor has Lisa been engaging too closely with the Christmas spirit. It’s straight out of Lord Coaker’s reply.
questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-12-11/hl3390
I’ve looked the question up and you’re right.
That shift is encouraging, to say the least.
Hopefully means we won’t be getting a Bay replacement and instead something more fighty.
Or it just means that the Government doesn’t know what they are talking about.
If we look at some of the concepts, they were pretty much fighting ships and in no way auxiliaries, so it could mean they aim to actually commission these in the RN ( I doubt, but it’s looking possible). 6 commissioned vessels with medium gun, landattack/surface strike, CAMM and massive flight deck, with well deck, hangers etc would be a pretty good littoral combatant in a future where autonomous vessels are key to warfare.
The term multi role strike ship has now been used a number of times across a number of press releases, it seems that there may have been an under the radar change in name.
A few interesting possibilities of the future as a bit of Christmas speculation
There is clear work going on on the MRSS, the fact it’s being reffered to more and more as a multi role strike ship, may also tie into the fact that a some of the concepts have been particularly well armed, with frigate level armament ( medium gun, anti ship/strike missiles and silos for AAW missiles). This would be interesting as it could be an indication that these will actually be used as a way to increase RN hull numbers and instead of basic non commissioned auxiliaries we see a complex warship focused on littoral raiding and strike, that can deploy marines at company level, provided its own NGFS, its own long range precision strike, act as its own escort and do everything…essentially how they have been sometimes inappropriately pushing the bays into. After all it would significantly reduce the pressure on escorts if these vessels not only provided their own self protection capabilities, but also acted in the role of a patrol frigate in peacetime deployments.
Clearly even though another long contract has been signed for the point class work is going on around the future of the strategic sea lift..it will be interesting to see if the future of strategic sea lift is delivered via the RFA, which is the right place for it in the end.
Also no line at all around work on the T32, I suspect we can pretty much assume this is dead in the water.. not necessarily a bad thing, better longer runs of T31 and T26 to give more chance of maturation of the platforms, than skipping onto the next show in town.
Just some fun…
Interesting idea, and I agree with your thoughts.
Agreed. I too have come across the the Strike ship references, reminded me of the cancelled LSS.
Type 83 destroyer?