Feature 1
NAO report focuses on shortcomings in
Type 45 programme
A report from the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded that
problems with the Royal Navy’s Type 45 air defence destroyer programme
stem from ‘over-optimism’ regarding programme delivery, inappropriate
commercial arrangements, and poor project management at the outset of
the programme.
HMS Daring is the
A
ccording to the NAO, these
shortcomings have led to the
first of six Type 45
current situation where the Type
destroyers being
45 programme is running two years late
built for the Royal
and £1.5 billion (US$2.1 billion) over
Navy.
budget. The report also found that the full
capability intended of these new anti-air
warfare (AAW) ships will not be fully
realised until the middle of the next decade
owing to delays in the integration of certain
equipments. Furthermore, the development
of a long-term support solution for the
class is running later than planned, which
means that the UK Ministry of Defence
(MoD) may have to extend interim support
measures as a fallback measure.
The MoD is procuring a fleet of six Type
45 destroyers, equipped with the Sea Viper
variant of the Principal Anti-Air Missile
System (PAAMS), to replace ageing Type
42 destroyers. Sea Viper will enable a single
Type 45 to engage multiple hostile aircraft
or missiles simultaneously, and allow the
ship to provide a protective umbrella over
a force of amphibious ships, a carrier group
or merchant ships in consort.
In July 2000 the MoD approved
expenditure of £5 billion (with a maximum
acceptable cost of £5.47 billion) to procure
six (out of a planned class of 12) Type 45
destroyers with the first ship then planned more challenging “target” date for delivery In 2008, resource constraints saw the
to enter service in November 2007. of December 2009. MoD decide against procuring a further
However, the project has since When the Type 45 destroyer project two ships. Even so, the operational
experienced significant cost increases and was approved in 2000, the plan was to buy requirement remains for the Royal Navy
delays: the current forecast cost for the 12 ships. A reduction from 12 to eight to have five ships available for tasking at
procurement of six ships is £6.46 billion ships was announced in 2004 and was any time. The NAO notes that it “will be
(a 29% increase), with the NAO’s own attributed to a reduced threat, revised challenging to meet this requirement,
Major Projects Report forecasting that planning assumptions and the ‘force established when the [MoD] intended to
HMS Daring, the first-of-class, is expected multiplier’ of a planned network-enabled buy eight ships, with the reduced number
to enter service in November 2010 (36 sensor data sharing capability (the of destroyers being procured”.
months later than planned). The MoD is, US-developed Cooperative Engagement For its part, the MoD judges that the
however, continuing to work towards a Capability [CEC]). benefits of new technology and improved
Warship Technology May 2009 15
p15-16-17-18-19_WT_May09.indd 15 16/04/2009 15:22:17
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52