Calls to speed up Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate build are dismissed
Defence minister Earl Howe said the government had no intention of speeding up the procurement plans of the Type 26 programmes.
His comments followed a question by Admiral Lord Alan West, a former head of the navy, who has previously told of his concern over the time it is taking to build the new frigates.
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Hide AdLord West asked ‘what consideration, if any’ has the government given ‘to accelerating the Type 26 build programme?’.
Responding, Earl Howe confirmed: ‘The Ministry of Defence has no plans to change the schedule for the Type 26 frigate procurement programme. The first Type 26 ship, HMS Glasgow, will enter service with the Royal Navy in 2027.’
The navy is building eight of the City-class warships, which will be based at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth.
The 6,900-tonne warships will be replacing the ageing Type 23 frigates, which will be phased out of service over the next decade.
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Hide AdAt least five, cheaper, Type 31e frigates are also being built to act as general purpose frigates. It’s hoped they will be based in Portsmouth – although the MoD has not revealed the base ports of the vessels yet.