In the next ten years, the British fleet will be replenished with five frigates of the Type 31 project. Yesterday, on September 24, the press service of the Royal Navy reported that the steel for the ship HMS Venturer was solemnly cut at the Rosyth shipyard of Babcock.
The frigate HMS Venturer will be the first-born of the Type 31 project. In total, it is planned to build five ships of the same type. The first frigate will be launched in 2023, the last one in five years. By 2030, all of them should become part of the combat fleet, replacing the frigates of the Type 23 project in service.
Infographics and visualization of ships of the Type 31 project
Image source: royalnavy.mod.uk
Each ship of the Type 31 project will cost £250 million. Their design is based on frigates of the Iver Huitfeldt type, adopted by the Danish Navy in 2011-2012. The length of each such ship is almost 140 m, the displacement is 6,650 tons.
Initially, the British Navy planned to purchase 13 frigates of the Global Combat Ship (GCS) program: 8 in the anti-submarine modification and 5 multi-purpose ships. But due to the high cost of the program, it was limited to eight ships of the Type 26 project. Later, it was decided to build 5 multi-purpose frigates (Type 31) with a lower cost.
According to the requirements of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, the new frigates must be operated by a crew of 100 people and be able to carry a landing party of 60 soldiers. The speed is at least 28 knots, the range is 9,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. The armament will consist of a gun of up to 127 mm caliber, as well as missiles of various types. In addition, a hangar capable of accommodating two Wildcat-type helicopters will be located at the stern of the ship.