Britain’s Type 32 Frigate Not Canceled
Concerns had been raised around whether the UK’s planned Type 32 class frigates would be developed after a report from the National Audit Office noted that the Royal Navy withdrew the withdrew its preliminary plans for Type 32 frigates because of concerns around affordability.
The concerns were increased following a report by The Times which claimed that the British government’s upcoming defense review was set to cancel the £2.5 billion ($3 billion) frigate project. The Times report cited ‘Ministry of Defence (MoD) insiders’ who suggested that cuts to major programs would be made to ‘balance the nation’s books.’
It seems, however, that rumors of the Type 32’s demise are somewhat exaggerated. During a debate on British Shipbuilding in the House of Commons on 30 January, Chris Evans, the Shadow Minister for Defence, asked: “How can Type 32 frigates be a key part of the future fleet if there are question marks around their affordability?” Ben Wallace, The Secretary of State for Defence, responded:
“That is because the Type 32 frigate will not come in until after 2030 or 2031, because it will come after the Type 31s, which are being constructed in Rosyth as we speak. What the Type 32s are going to be, how they will be designed and who will build them is obviously a matter for between now and towards the centre of the decade. Even if the hon. Gentleman gets into government, no Treasury will give a budget for seven years forward, so it is important to make sure that we do not sign on the dotted line before we have the budget in line. It is absolutely the intention of the Royal Navy to have more frigates and destroyers, including the Type 32.”
The role of the Type 32 is still being decided with discussion of it having autonomous capabilities and it being able to undertake anti-submarine and mine countermeasures operations. The UK recently ordered the second tranche of five Type 26 frigates worth £4.2 billion ($4.94 billion) while five smaller and cheaper Type 31 frigates ordered from Babcock in 2019.
With funds tight and the Royal Navy’s future strategy requiring a larger frigate flotilla the Type 32 is intended to offer a cost effective method of increasing the Royal Navy’s number of hulls. The class only entered the concept phase in November 2021, with First Sea Lord Tony Radakin stating that it was too early to define the frigates’ roles and capabilities, but it is believed that as many as five vessels are expected to make up the class.
Header image: File image, Type 31 render (Royal Navy)