The UK defense ministry has awarded BAE Systems a £4.2 billion (approx. $4.97B) contract to build the second batch of Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy.
Leading the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare surface fleet, the five new City-class ships – HMS Birmingham, HMS Sheffield, HMS Newcastle, HMS Edinburgh and HMS London – will join the first three T26s already in build at Govan – HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast.
As part of the contract, BAE Systems has committed to invest £1.2 billion in the UK supply chain, supporting a further 2,300 jobs with more than 120 suppliers all over the UK.
According to the defense ministry, construction of all eight frigates is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, with the first, HMS Glasgow, entering service by the end of 2028.
“We are investing in our fleet to ensure our Royal Navy maintains its world-leading capability to protect and defend our nation at sea. This design has already been successfully exported to Australia and Canada, its already proved itself as a world-class maritime capability, securing thousands of UK jobs and strengthening alliances with our allies,” UK defense secretary Ben Wallace said.
Replacing the bulk of the retiring Type 23 fleet, the Type 26 frigates will have the primary purpose of anti-submarine warfare, protecting the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent and maritime strike group.
At just under 150m long and with a top speed of more than 26 knots and a range of more than 7,000 nautical miles, the vessels will be capable of countering piracy and delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
Carrying the Sea Ceptor missile defense system – able to destroy airborne and sea surface targets – the vessels will also carry a five-inch medium caliber gun, an embarked helicopter for specific operations, radar and sonar for expert navigation and tracking adversaries.
A flexible mission bay means the vessels could also be adapted to carry specific armed forces and equipment tailored for operations. The Mk.41 vertical launch silo will be fitted to enable rapid-fire missile launches.
“This contract secures a critical UK industry and allows us to build on our long history of shipbuilding on the Clyde as we continue to deliver cutting-edge equipment to the Royal Navy into the next decade,” BAE Systems CEO, Charles Woodburn, said.
Improving build efficiency, BAE Systems has submitted a planning application for a new 175 meter long, 85 meter wide shipbuilding hall at Govan, which will allow two frigates to be built simultaneously under cover.
“The award of the T26 Batch 2 manufacture contract is another key milestone in the United Kingdom’s shipbuilding program, reaffirming our commitment, alongside our industrial partners, to deliver a highly effective anti-submarine frigate fleet for the Royal Navy,” Vice Admiral Paul Marshall, DE&S Director General Ships, said.
The vessels are designed to reduce environmental impacts, and are fitted with features – including a hydrodynamically designed hull – to optimize fuel efficiency and a diesel engine emissions abatement, which reduces nitrogen oxide exhaust.
Steel will be cut on the first of the next five vessels, HMS Birmingham, this winter, marking the start of the Batch 2 build phase.
