It’s been a fruitful year for UK’s Royal Navy. After the flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales have set off on their first missions earlier this year, two new warship classes are currently being developed at the same time, which hasn’t happened in 30 years.
While the first three Type 26 frigates are being built in Govan, with HMS Glasgow being the leading one, the first Type 31 frigate, HMS Venturer, is taking shape at the new assembly hall in Rosyth. The Type 26 ships will replace Type 23 submarine hunters that are getting ready to complete their service over the next 15 years.
The five ships that will comprise the new Inspiration class, namely Venturer, Active, Bulldog, Campbeltown and Formidable, are in line for replacing the general duty 23s, one of them being HMS Montrose. Considered “backbone ships” in the Royal Navy, these types of multi-purpose vessels can carry out a variety of tasks, depending on what’s needed.
The future HMS Venturer will be versatile enough to go from intelligence operations, submarine detection, and interception of illegal activities at sea, to milder missions, such as providing humanitarian support.
In order to perform such diverse tasks, in missions all around the world, the new frigate will be equipped with a 4D radar and several weapon systems, including the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system, two 40 mm Bofor guns, and a 57 mm main gun.
One of the most innovative features of HMS Venturer is its modular design, which will make it easier to adapt the ship configuration according to specific missions. Plus, it will feature the Royal Navy’s latest development, the Persistent Operational Delivery Systems (PODS).
These containers, which are designed to be easy to deploy and install, can carry almost anything required during missions, from drones to autonomous mine-hunting equipment, and humanitarian aid. The idea is that, instead of having to go to a port in order to receive equipment or supplies, warships could get what they need through these PODS, at sea, which would be faster and easier.
All future Inspiration-class ships, $343 million (£250 million) each, will be built with a modular configuration and will feature the innovative PODS. HMS Venturer, the first, one, is set to hit the water in two years.
The five ships that will comprise the new Inspiration class, namely Venturer, Active, Bulldog, Campbeltown and Formidable, are in line for replacing the general duty 23s, one of them being HMS Montrose. Considered “backbone ships” in the Royal Navy, these types of multi-purpose vessels can carry out a variety of tasks, depending on what’s needed.
The future HMS Venturer will be versatile enough to go from intelligence operations, submarine detection, and interception of illegal activities at sea, to milder missions, such as providing humanitarian support.
In order to perform such diverse tasks, in missions all around the world, the new frigate will be equipped with a 4D radar and several weapon systems, including the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system, two 40 mm Bofor guns, and a 57 mm main gun.
One of the most innovative features of HMS Venturer is its modular design, which will make it easier to adapt the ship configuration according to specific missions. Plus, it will feature the Royal Navy’s latest development, the Persistent Operational Delivery Systems (PODS).
These containers, which are designed to be easy to deploy and install, can carry almost anything required during missions, from drones to autonomous mine-hunting equipment, and humanitarian aid. The idea is that, instead of having to go to a port in order to receive equipment or supplies, warships could get what they need through these PODS, at sea, which would be faster and easier.
All future Inspiration-class ships, $343 million (£250 million) each, will be built with a modular configuration and will feature the innovative PODS. HMS Venturer, the first, one, is set to hit the water in two years.