Assuming the Type 31 hull is used as the basis for the platform, commonality of propulsion and other systems could be maintained, simplifying both the design, logistic support and training requirements.īesides BAE Systems in Glasgow fully occupied with Type 26, there are no other UK shipbuilders with recent experience of warship construction. This approach would keep costs down and allow manufacture to start sooner. It would be expensive and take time to develop a new combatant design from scratch and if there is already an open production line for Type 31 up and running, it would make sense to sustain the drumbeat of work and utilise the experience readily available from building a similar platform. There are no guarantees but logic dictates Type 32 will almost certainly be a development of the Type 31. As embodied by the RN’s transformation programme, there is a recognition of the increasing pace of global change and the main difference between Type 31 and Type 32 will be to incorporate a decade’s worth of technological advances. Although there is plenty of margin for additions, any upgrades will have to be made after they enter service. ‘The Type 31 Batch II’ĭelivery of the Type 31 is a fixed contract between Babcock and the MoD that does not allow the customer to make changes to the design or equipment fit during construction. It will play a similar presence and maritime security role as the Type 31 and will not be a high-end combatant like the Type 26. It is very early days and the RN is still working to define its requirement in more detail but official sources say the vessel will primarily be a general-purpose frigate. There are plenty of theories doing the rounds about the purpose of Type 32 which include motherships for mine warfare USVs, an anti-submarine specialist or a replacement for the Type 45 destroyer. In this speculative article, we consider the possible design of this vessel and when it may enter service. As part of the Integrated Review announcements on 19th November, the Type 32 frigate concept emerged blinking into the light of public gaze for the first time.
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