Feature 1 | CoRveTTes, FRigATes, desTRoyeRs
efficiency mean that it will be able to deliver support arrangements for when the Type
the necessary capabilities with fewer ships. 45 destroyers come into service. It intends
Accordingly, the MoD and the Royal Navy to use BVT and MBDA to provide the
are looking to optimise the way it supports bulk of the support using a commercial
the destroyers to maximise the time “at sea” arrangement under which it will specify
and aims to have five available at varying the level of availability it needs and pay
states of readiness. industry to deliver it.
The six ships are planned to be
introduced into service between 2009 support and training
and 2013. According to the NAO, the According to the NAO: “The support
Ministry “has always intended to introduce arrangements are planned to be introduced
capabilities incrementally on ships after in two phases reflecting the complexity of
they have come into service,” adding: “On the ship and that 80% of its systems are new.
current plans Daring, the first ship of class, The [MoD] is putting these arrangements
will enter into service with the Anti-Air in place later than originally planned, partly
Warfare performance having been tested because of delays and difficulties with the
but before the missile is first fired from procurement and a need to realign the level
a destroyer and before the full on-board of funding to meet the ship’s introduction
PAAMS training package is complete in to operations.”
mid-2011 [although the missiles will have It adds: “The department has put interim
been tested elsewhere].” arrangements in place to support the first
The MoD believes that, if necessary, it ship Daring during its sea trials. These
could deploy Daring and make use of Sea interim activities could be extended to
Viper/PAAMS when the ship enters service provide support for the destroyers for
in 2009. operational use if the main support solution
A qualification firing of the uK’s sea viper is late, although such an extension would
Procurement variant of PAAMs undertaken from the likely be costly and therefore used only as a
In 1999 the MoD contracted with MDBA guided weapons trials barge Longbow. fallback position.”
UK for the full-scale development and Daring is not due to test its primary The Type 45 capability is being
initial production of the UK variant of weapon system until early 2011. delivered into service along eight Defence
PAAMS. The following year it committed Lines of Development (namely training,
to procure six Type 45 destroyers from equipment, personnel, information,
what is now BVT Surface Fleet (formerly “suggests these actions have helped the doctrine, organisation, infrastructure and
BAE Systems). project to progress more smoothly, and logistics). This approach aims to ensure
The NAO believes that Type 45 there have been no cost increases or further that all elements of the capability such as the
suffered from a ‘conspiracy of optimism’ delays since the contract was renegotiated”. necessary training and infrastructure, not
within the Ministry. It states: “When the However, it adds that some risks to the just the ships themselves, are introduced
shipbuilding project was established, the project remain, notably from the MoD’s coherently.
[MoD’s] estimates of the extent of the work decision to separate responsibility for the The NAO’s report observes that the
needed to complete the ship design and delivery of the ships and their main weapon MoD “has responded flexibly to the delays
development, and of the initial costs and system (PAAMS). in the delivery of some training facilities,
timescales involved were over-optimistic.” The two projects are now being in particular by planning to run more
It continues: “The associated commercial managed by separate teams that specialise training on board Daring during sea trials”.
arrangements did not reflect the risks in destroyers and weapons respectively, It adds: “Training more personnel on the
and uncertainty remaining, project whereas before they were managed within ship creates a risk that there may not be
control and decision making were poor one team. “This separation aims to bring enough room or time available on board
governance structures were ineffective, and benefits to the Ministry,” says the NAO, the ship to train fully the companies for
relationships between the [MoD] and BVT “through more coherent management of Daring and the second destroyer, Dauntless.
broke down.” weapons, but could increase the difficulties The department is investigating alternative
In 2006, the Ministry undertook a far of managing all aspects of the delivery training solutions.”
reaching review of the project and in 2007 and support of the Type 45 destroyer In its conclusion, and assessment as to
renegotiated the ship contract with BVT capability”. It continues: “The [MoD] value for money, the NAO states: “The
and established new, more effective ways is aware of this risk and has developed existing Type 42 destroyers provide only
of working with industry, including more a strategy to manage both projects a limited capability. The replacement,
extensive co-location. The Ministry also coherently as two separate but aligned the Type 45 destroyer, is planned to
strengthened its governance arrangements. projects with a single senior champion.” offer a much greater capability but has
According to the NAO, early evidence The MoD is continuing to develop experienced considerable delays of over
18 Warship Technology May 2009
p15-16-17-18-19_WT_May09.indd 18 16/04/2009 15:22:28
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