Photo: BAE Systems
It’s been a long time coming, but the Royal Navy finally got its first glimpse at the true size of the HMS Glasgow City Class Type 26 frigate last week, as its maker brought the two halves of the ship together for the first time, out in the open.
In mid-April, BAE Systems rolled out in the open the ship’s bow. That would be the front part of the vessel, the one that contains the bridge, operations room, and accommodation spaces. In the first days of May, the aft section joined the bow under the Scottish sun, giving us an idea of how large the ship is.
This rear half of the ship is the one that houses the mission bay and hangars. In these storage areas, the Glasgow can hold helicopters, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores. There’s also the flight deck on the aft section, where Chinook-size helicopters can land.
Although the two halves of the ship are now very close together, at the end of a very long process needed to ensure everything is properly aligned, they are not yet one solid piece of war-making machine.
The Glasgow is part of the Royal Navy’s Global Combat Ship program, born in 1998. The construction of the ship started in 2017, and the Royal Navy expects to take delivery of it as soon as 2023.
HMS Glasgow is the first in a series of ships called City Class Type 26 and are supposed to replace the Type 23 frigates that are in service ever since 1987. The new class of frigates will later include the HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast, and also five yet-unnamed others.
Each of them will be equipped with the Sea Ceptor missile defense system, 5-inch medium caliber guns, the Artisan 997 medium-range radar, and sonars.
This rear half of the ship is the one that houses the mission bay and hangars. In these storage areas, the Glasgow can hold helicopters, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores. There’s also the flight deck on the aft section, where Chinook-size helicopters can land.
Although the two halves of the ship are now very close together, at the end of a very long process needed to ensure everything is properly aligned, they are not yet one solid piece of war-making machine.
The Glasgow is part of the Royal Navy’s Global Combat Ship program, born in 1998. The construction of the ship started in 2017, and the Royal Navy expects to take delivery of it as soon as 2023.
HMS Glasgow is the first in a series of ships called City Class Type 26 and are supposed to replace the Type 23 frigates that are in service ever since 1987. The new class of frigates will later include the HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast, and also five yet-unnamed others.
Each of them will be equipped with the Sea Ceptor missile defense system, 5-inch medium caliber guns, the Artisan 997 medium-range radar, and sonars.
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