The UK’s subsequent era anti-submarine warfare fleet is on schedule for the primary at school coming into service in 2028, in keeping with a written parliamentary reply from Defence Minister Luke Pollard.
Pollard confirmed that “the Kind 26 programme stays on monitor to satisfy all person necessities and ship eight world-class anti-submarine warfare frigates in time to switch the anti-submarine warfare Kind 23s.”
All eight ships are anticipated to enter Royal Navy service between 2028 and 2035, forming the spine of the fleet’s anti-submarine functionality for the approaching a long time.
Pollard added that “Kind 26 frigates will permit the Royal Navy to proceed to play a number one position within the anti-submarine theatre of the North Atlantic, offering a vital output to each NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Drive.”
The Kind 26, or Metropolis-class, is designed as a extremely succesful multi-role warship optimised for anti-submarine operations whereas supporting air defence and general-purpose missions. Developed below the World Fight Ship programme, the design replaces the ageing Kind 23s and varieties the premise for export variants for Australia, Canada, and Norway.
Onboard the world’s most superior anti-submarine frigate
It’s the first shared warship design between the three Commonwealth nations because the pre-war Tribal-class destroyer, symbolising renewed industrial and operational alignment amongst key allies.
Every ship displaces roughly 8,000 tonnes, measures 150 metres in size and has a variety exceeding 7,000 nautical miles. Its mixed diesel-electric and gasoline turbine propulsion offers speeds above 26 knots, with superior acoustic quieting for submarine-hunting operations.
The fight system integrates the Artisan 3D radar, Sonar 2087 towed array, Kind 2150 bow sonar, and the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System able to deploying the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon. The category may even be outfitted with a 5-inch Mk 45 naval gun, Sea Ceptor missiles, and Phalanx CIWS for close-in defence.
The ships characteristic a mission bay for modular payloads and a Chinook-capable flight deck supporting Merlin or Wildcat helicopters and uncrewed methods. Development is led by BAE Programs in Glasgow, the place HMS Glasgow and HMS Cardiff are in becoming out, HMS Belfast is below building, and Batch 2 ships, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Newcastle, are progressing by way of early construct.