Photo: BAE Systems
The Royal Navy launched two new aircraft carriers in record time. At the same time, it’s also gradually replacing the frigate and submarine fleets with upgraded versions that can handle current and future challenges at sea.
As the name of the UK’s second city in terms of size (historically, at least) Birmingham was also an obvious choice for several Royal Navy vessels. The oldest one was a cruiser that served in World War I, and the most recent one was a Type 42 destroyer, built in 1976. But there’s a new ship gearing up to take this famous name into the future, and that is the fourth frigate in the Type 26 class.
This class is comprised of submarine hunters that are supposed to replace the Type 23 warships that are still in service at the moment. There will be a total of eight 26s, ready to protect the Navy’s fleet against deadly submarines for the next 25 years.
The first batch included three of them, HMS Glasgow, Cardiff, and Belfast, all of which are under construction right now. The second batch will complete the other five – HMS Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and London.
Back in the summer of 2021, His Royal Highness Prince William attended the steel cut ceremony for HMS Belfast. This month, the fourth Type 26 frigate started coming to life in Govan, Glasgow.
It will be more cost-efficient and delivered faster compared to the first batch because BAE Systems and the other players involved in the process have used the feedback from the first time around to optimize the building phase. The most important change is a new assembly hall that will keep the future frigates in-build safe from the natural elements (which can be particularly damaging in the Scottish lands).
But the new frigate will pack the same impressive weaponry as the ones in the first batch. The famous Sea Ceptor missile defense system takes center stage, flanked by a 5-inch medium caliber gun, and an Mk41 vertical launch silo, for missile systems.
HMS Birmingham will also flaunt powerful sonars and a medium-range radar that will allow it to operate as quietly and stealthily as possible. Its deck can accommodate either a Merlin or a Wildcat helicopter, and it will also incorporate one of the Navy’s latest concepts – a multi-function cargo pod that can be adapted and changed for specific missions (from disaster relief to mine hunting).
According to BAE Systems, the new-generation Type 26 frigates will also be eco-friendlier compared to previous vessels. Their hulls are designed for better fuel efficiency, and treated with an anti-fouling coating, while wastewater treatment systems onboard make sure that the maritime environment stays clean.
The Royal Navy is also building a new generation of less-menacing frigates, the Type 31, for general duties.
This class is comprised of submarine hunters that are supposed to replace the Type 23 warships that are still in service at the moment. There will be a total of eight 26s, ready to protect the Navy’s fleet against deadly submarines for the next 25 years.
The first batch included three of them, HMS Glasgow, Cardiff, and Belfast, all of which are under construction right now. The second batch will complete the other five – HMS Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and London.
Back in the summer of 2021, His Royal Highness Prince William attended the steel cut ceremony for HMS Belfast. This month, the fourth Type 26 frigate started coming to life in Govan, Glasgow.
It will be more cost-efficient and delivered faster compared to the first batch because BAE Systems and the other players involved in the process have used the feedback from the first time around to optimize the building phase. The most important change is a new assembly hall that will keep the future frigates in-build safe from the natural elements (which can be particularly damaging in the Scottish lands).
But the new frigate will pack the same impressive weaponry as the ones in the first batch. The famous Sea Ceptor missile defense system takes center stage, flanked by a 5-inch medium caliber gun, and an Mk41 vertical launch silo, for missile systems.
HMS Birmingham will also flaunt powerful sonars and a medium-range radar that will allow it to operate as quietly and stealthily as possible. Its deck can accommodate either a Merlin or a Wildcat helicopter, and it will also incorporate one of the Navy’s latest concepts – a multi-function cargo pod that can be adapted and changed for specific missions (from disaster relief to mine hunting).
According to BAE Systems, the new-generation Type 26 frigates will also be eco-friendlier compared to previous vessels. Their hulls are designed for better fuel efficiency, and treated with an anti-fouling coating, while wastewater treatment systems onboard make sure that the maritime environment stays clean.
The Royal Navy is also building a new generation of less-menacing frigates, the Type 31, for general duties.
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