Royal Navy Type 26 Frigate

Via MilitaryPhotos.net: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-26/u-k-may-alter-warship-timetable-to-save-jobs-at-bae-shipyards.html
 
Artist's impression of BAE Systems Type 26.

Source:
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/09/bae-prepares-to-build-type-26-combat-ship-first-wave-of-suppliers-onboard/
http://ukarmedforcescommentary.blogspot.com/
 

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Published on Sep 11, 2013

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index....
Navy Recognition interviews Geoff Searle, Type 26 GCS Programme Manager, on the BAE Systems stand at DSEI 2013.

http://youtu.be/c8RBnlrg6Ao
 
Published on Jun 3, 2014

Britain's next generation of frigates inched a little closer to the water today, with BAE Systems' announcement of new suppliers.

The company says the new Type 26 could be in service by the early 2020s but they are still waiting for the MOD to sign on the dotted line.

http://youtu.be/o6xYLu6Ul_U
 
"U.K Ministry of Defence Awards BAE Systems $1.32 Billion for New Royal Navy Ship Class"
by: Sam LaGrone
February 20, 2015 1:48 PM

Source:
http://news.usni.org/2015/02/20/u-k-ministry-of-defence-awards-bae-systems-1-32-billion-for-new-royal-navy-ship-class

The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a $1.32 billion (£859 million) contract to BAE Systems to develop a new class of frigate for the Royal Navy, the MoD announced on Friday.

The contract will set the stage for the planned 2016 start of construction for 13 Type 26 Global Combat Ship — the planned replacement for the Royal Navy’s existing 1980s-desgined Duke Type 23 frigates, according to a statement from BAE.

“The new contract will include investment in essential long lead items for the ships, shore testing facilities,” read the MoD statement.
“There will also be investment in key equipment for the first three ships – such as gas turbines, diesel generators and steering gear – allowing suppliers to plan, invest and secure their workforce on the project.”

The Type 26s are anticipated to be primary ship in the Royal Navy’s surface fleet as the class begins to come online starting the 2020s.

The design of the 5,500-ton large frigate-sized ships are significantly larger than the 3,600-ton Type 23s and eight will be optimized for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), according to U.S. Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the World.

The ships will field a vertical launch system for surface to surface and land attack missiles, a BAE 997 Artisan 3-D air surface search radar and have a crew of about 130 sailors.

The ships will likely be built in Glasgow, Scotland.

“This is a substantial investment in our shipbuilding industry, safeguarding the jobs of 600 workers in Scotland and many more across the U.K.,” read a statement from U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron.

Friday’s award follows a 2010 BAE design contract to $195 million design contract to develop the Type 26 concept.
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Published on Mar 2, 2015

BAE Systems has been awarded an £859 million demonstration phase contract for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
Find out what this means for our business, supply chain partners and employees as Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed the UK Government’s continued commitment to sustaining national sovereign capability to deliver complex warships to the Royal Navy.

https://youtu.be/gIBsAZE5Ljg
 
Published on Sep 15, 2015

Take a look at the latest images of the Royal Navy's Type 26 Global Combat Ship that will replace the Type 23 frigate as the workhorse of the Fleet.
The Global Combat Ship will be a highly capable and versatile multi-mission warship designed to support anti-submarine warfare, air defence and general purpose operations anywhere on the world’s oceans.

DEAD LINK
 
I think its been reposted here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK0GGTyoWPc
 
Is seems like work is finally getting nearer to something concrete. The government have awarded £472 million contract to BAE, running for 15 months starting in April. Though it seems there are still no definite dates on when construction will begin
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/2016/03/22/type-26-anti-submarine-frigate-uk/82122134/

Interestingly all mention of the Global Combat Ship has gone, now its seen as an Anti-Submarine frigate to replace the Type 23s which will begin retirement from 2023. Only 8 will be built.

The Type 31 general purpose frigate, the 'cheaper' and more 'exportable' design is more nebulous. BAE Systems seems confident they can build both types at the same time but given the Type 31 is still in the early concept phase this seems optimistic. I'm not even sure what a general purpose design is and how such a ship with decent capabilities is going to be cheaper than Type 26. It still needs a gun, point-defence systems, helipad and hangar, multi-mission bay and good command and communications fit. A warmed over River Class isn't going to cut the mustard. Also, unless it shares a large proportion of components with the Type 26 then there will be no savings to the Type 26 production line due to the smaller than planned run of ships.

As to exports, no chance at all. No British warships have been exported since 2003 and the last two surface ship exports to Brunei and Trinidad and Tobago were diplomatic disasters, the Upholder sale has been less than successful too. The basic economic fact is that British-built warships cost too much and are uncompetitive, why else are firms like Navantia winning a constant stream of orders while BAE Systems is being kept afloat with a few patrol boats to keep a home industry struggling along. I'd rather see the Royal Navy buy a foreign design off the shelf for Type 31.

Also, since when as a Type 3x number ever been in use in the Royal Navy? General Purpose was Type 8x. Makes me think this ship is not a frigate but a big OPV, hence the need for a new classification.
 
I guess the definition of frigate has gone the way of destroyer. 500 feet long and 8,000 tons full displacement seems like a big overlap with current destroyers while DDG 1000 is poaching hard into cruiser size. Maybe we can blame the Japanese with their 800 foot long helicopter destoyers. It is more than annoying to see political word games drive the programmatic funding process because sometimes this can bleed over into actual design considerations. And then there are all those ships named after politicians. I wonder if there are any congressional types with the fortitude to introduce legislation to ban any further naming of ships after politicians?
 
Fingers crossed things move quickly enough now for the Type 26 to remain in contention for the RAN SEA5000 program as it appears to be the best fit to the Australian requirements.

I have a lot of time for RN platforms in general as they tend to be superior fighting ships to most, the flip side is they have IMO often been compromised by systems selection and often poorly conceived economy measures aimed to reduce upfront cost with little thought to through life costs or the effect on capability. Many of them turn out very well despite this but it is often a long, painful and expensive process that hindsight often suggests would have worked out better if initial plans had been followed instead of more austere ones.

The Type 26 looks to be coming together quite well but it is still suffering the usual stretching of schedule and cut in numbers that has hamstrung so many projects since the end of the Cold War. I just hope they don't skimp on the planned ashore testing and certification that could have saved the Darings their propulsion problems.
 
FighterJock said:
The first Type 26 Frigate will be known as HMS Glasgow and the Frigate will be known as the City class.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40660677
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Hmm. We have HMS Belfast extant, so what city will represent Northern Ireland?

Of Northern Irish cities, Londonderry/Derry has been used for a Type 12, and the city has a naval association. The choice of name is politically loaded though.

Lisburn and Newry are new cities, but with no naval connection.

Armagh is an ancient city, but again with no naval connection - though its name was a suggestion for the Type 61 Class Frigate. Armagh might have pole position because of that, but Lisburn or Newry could surprise.
 
Are they retaining the "frigate" designation? The size/weight of this ship is pretty close to a destroyer. Then again, a Zumwalt is cruiser sized so it seems like ship class is pretty elastic depending on sales politics.
 
starviking said:
Hmm. We have HMS Belfast extant, so what city will represent Northern Ireland?
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I don't think the museum ship "HMS Belfast" is technically in commission, so they could reuse that name without too much trouble. Would actually make a great photoshoot, with the new ship steaming past the old one docked in the Thames.
 
TomS said:
starviking said:
Hmm. We have HMS Belfast extant, so what city will represent Northern Ireland?
Click to expand...

I don't think the museum ship "HMS Belfast" is technically in commission, so they could reuse that name without too much trouble. Would actually make a great photoshoot, with the new ship steaming past the old one docked in the Thames.
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I would have no problem with Belfast 2, has a certain ring to it don't you think.
 
Assuming that the Type 42 names plus London are re-used, they may not use an
Ulster city name, though Antrim was still in commission when most of the 42s were built.
Bristol still in?
 
"BAE Systems is offering the Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) design for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program"

Source:
http://www.baesystems.com/en-ca/maritime-capabilities/type-26-global-combat-ship

We believe Type 26 GCS could be the right solution for CSC. The ship meets Canada's high-level requirements - already released - and will be capable of deployment worldwide for extended periods, undertaking a wide range of roles from high intensity conflict to humanitarian assistance, including anti-submarine warfare and air defence. It is flexible, versatile and is highly survivable with an extremely low acoustic signature. The Type 26 design is tailored to be inherently flexible to accommodate the different ways that international customers build their ships, minimising cost and risk.

Modular design

The keys to the vessel’s ability to meet the Canadian requirement and to accommodate Canada-specific sub-systems are its modular design and open systems architecture. The same features will also minimise cost of ownership and facilitate Canadian industry playing a leading role in through-life support and upgrade; delivering long term economic benefit to Canada.

150 years' heritage

At BAE Systems we have more than 150 years' heritage in warship design, and over the last 50 years have designed and built some of the quietest ships and submarines ever deployed. These low acoustic signatures are crucial for ships to evade detection from submarines, which ultimately translates into the safety and survivability of the crew, and the ability of the ship to successfully complete its mission.
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The Global Combat Ship for Australia

Published on Jun 22, 2017

A next-generation capability to secure Australian jobs for generations.

For the SEA5000 program BAE Systems will offer the Commonwealth the export version of the Type 26 - our Global Combat Ship (GCS). The GCS is the newest, most advanced and most capable Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) platform in the world. Purpose designed for ASW, the GCS combines superior acoustic stealth with peerless general purpose capabilities, exemplified by the multi-mission bay, which provides unparalleled mission flexibility.

https://youtu.be/sl89hsSje3E
 
Good to see that both Canada and Australia are looking at the Type 26 so early on, hope that they purchase some in the near future.
 
fredymac said:
Are they retaining the "frigate" designation? The size/weight of this ship is pretty close to a destroyer.
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RN usage is destroyer=air defence, frigate=ASW. Weight growth means the old size equivalences don't always make sense. At 6500 tonnes, the Type 26 is the displacement of an 80s CGN, or a WWI ACR, while the Zumwalts are into WWI battleship range.
 
http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.ie/2017/07/type-26-and-remnant-royal-navy.html
 
Grey Havoc said:
http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.ie/2017/07/type-26-and-remnant-royal-navy.html
Click to expand...

There's some significant exaggeration in there, RN numbers are adequate for patrolling home waters, but there's undoubtedly a shortage of escorts if we want to sortie a CVBG and an Amphibious Task Group at the same time and retain that coverage. OTOH coalition ops could draw in escorts from other nations with blue-water escort forces and fewer major platforms to escort.

I'd certainly like to see the escort forces strengthened, but the RN has become an unbalanced force and escorts are where it is weakest, if you look at amphibious capabilities, or attack subs, and CVF in future, then peer forces start to become rather thinner on the ground.
 
The video shows a large mission bay similar in concept to the LCS. The ship size is pretty close to the type 45. I haven't seen any unit cost comparisons between the two types.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC9jqRmBifk
 

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c0:40 in fredymac's video, ACNS 'the 5" gun at the front'. It had certainly been talked about, but had that been confirmed before now?
 
JFC Fuller said:
Yes, it was confirmed years ago and the guns are already ordered. It also has the automatic ammunition handling system in the bow.
Click to expand...

Interesting to note that it has got an automatic ammunition handling system in the bow, that will save time for loading after the gun fires.
 
FighterJock said:
JFC Fuller said:
Yes, it was confirmed years ago and the guns are already ordered. It also has the automatic ammunition handling system in the bow.
Click to expand...

Interesting to note that it has got an automatic ammunition handling system in the bow, that will save time for loading after the gun fires.
Click to expand...
Will also allow the mount to operate more effectively with fewer crew.
 
Triton said:
Inside the Type 26 Frigate

Published on Jul 20, 2017

https://youtu.be/J59zrs1Uj0M
Click to expand...

Highly interesting videos Triton, thanks for posting. B)
 
The build sequence is interesting to watch. The clearances with yard infrastructure look like they may have caused a few headaches: "Bay 2 door must be open".
 
It was the Treasury that nixxed the "frigate factory" plan and insisted on minimum investment in infrastructure. Not Bae.
 
Video showing a model of the ammunition handling system for the Mark 45 installation on the Type 26. Looks like 192 rounds ready to fire on the assumption the cutaway portside racks match starboard.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ecDozRIbI
 

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