Engineering news
First steel will be cut on the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates during the summer next year, the government has confirmed.
The ships, which are being built by BAE Systems at its shipyards on the Clyde in Glasgow, will replace the navy’s Type 23 fleet from 2020. Their construction will “secure hundreds of high-skilled shipbuilding jobs and in the supply chain” for the next 20 years, said defence secretary Michael Fallon during a visit to the site.
He said: “Backed by Britain’s rising defence budget, the Type 26 Programme will deliver a new generation of cutting-edge warships for our Royal Navy at best value for taxpayers.”
Eight of the anti-submarine ships will be built with. Each will carry a crew of 185, have a top speed of 28 knots and a range of 7,800 nautical miles. The first is expected to enter service in the early 2020s.
Manufacturing contracts are in place for the procurement of major equipment for the first three ships. Rolls-Royce has been selected to design the warships' gas turbines, MTU will provide the diesel generator sets, and David Brown Gear Systems has been asked to develop the gearbox. Rohde & Schwarz is to work on the vessels’ communications system.
The government also awarded a £100 million contract for the Type 26’s air defence missile system. The Sea Ceptor system will be designed and built in the UK by MBDA and will provide defence against supersonic anti-ship missiles, fast jets, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The contract will sustain around 85 jobs, including 55 at MBDA’s sites in Bristol, Stevenage and Lostock and 30 across the UK supply chain. Companies on the supply chain include Babcock in Leicester, Churrock Engineering in Chelmsford, Quadrant in Todmorden, API in Milton Keynes, Meggitt in Stevenage and Aish in Poole.
Type 26 warships: designed for stealth
- The vessels will employ a combined diesel electric or gas turbine propulsion system, enabling them to achieve high speeds while providing economic power to the onboard systems, allowing them to operate quietly in cruising mode.
- Designed with an acoustically quiet hull, the ships will have angled sides and an enclosed upper deck for increased stealth.
- Warships will be armed with air defence missiles – the Sea Ceptor system, a medium-calibre main gun, the latest radar and sonar sensors, and Merlin or Wildcat helicopters.
- The ships will take advantage of modular design and open systems architecture, ensuring they can be easily upgraded as new technology develops and can accommodate sub-systems and equipment to individual customer needs.
- Each Type 26 will accommodate a crew of up to 190. The vessel will be 148m long, and weigh 5,400 tonnes. It will have a top speed of 26 knots and will displace 6,000 tonnes of seawater.