The Ministry of Defence has declined to offer a commissioning date for the Royal Navy’s first Kind 32 frigate, saying future functionality plans are being thought of as a part of the forthcoming Defence Funding Plan (DIP).
In a written reply to Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, who requested when the primary Kind 32 would enter service, Defence Minister Luke Pollard mentioned the division was “constantly evaluating its capabilities, together with potential enhancements to the Royal Navy’s fleet.”
He famous that below the Strategic Defence Overview, the Royal Navy is transferring towards a “Hybrid Navy,” combining crewed and uncrewed vessels. Pollard mentioned this shift can be supported by modular and reconfigurable applied sciences, permitting for “quicker, smarter procurement and scalable platforms to extend mass and impact.”
He added that future naval procurement selections can be set out below the Defence Funding Plan, stating that “it will be inappropriate to offer additional element presently.”
The Kind 32 programme was first introduced in 2020 as a part of the federal government’s Nationwide Shipbuilding Technique, supposed to observe the continued Kind 26 and Kind 31 frigate builds. Its position and design stay below assessment because the Navy adapts to new operational ideas and automation applied sciences.
As beforehand reported by the UK Defence Journal in January, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Kind 32 stays in its idea part, with no outlined timetable for design or procurement.
Since then, there was little signal of progress on the venture whereas selections await the result of the broader Defence Funding Plan assessment.