Feature 3 | DESTROYERS, FRIGATES & CORVETTES
Type 26 programme changes course to reflect SDSR outcomes
Te programme strategy for the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 surface combatant programme has been set on a new heading to take account of the UK government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
Artist’s impression showing an early version of the Type 26.
stated an intention to bring the new class into service “as soon as possible after 2020”, the capability requirement against which the class is being designed has undergone some measure of revision. Two changes stand out: first, the
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programme will now embrace both the C1 and C2 capability requirements previously set out under the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) surface combatant roadmap; second, increased emphasis is being placed on the design’s exportability under the banner of the Global Combat Ship (GCS). Tese drivers have influenced a series
of adjustments to, and trade-offs against, the original requirement which have seen
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lthough the continuation of the Type 26 programme was confirmed by the SDSR, which
the baseline Type 26 design produced in the project’s concept phase reduced from just over 6100tonnes to around 5000tonnes displacement. The UK MoD awarded BAE Systems
Surface Ships, as designated lead ship contractor and systems integrator, a £127 million (US$204.5 million) contract in March 2010 to lead a four-year Assessment Phase for the Type 26 programme. Under previous plans, the Type 26 was intended to meet the C1 requirement for a high-end warfighting, anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-optimised task group enabler; while the follow-on C2 requirement calling for a less capable general-purpose combatant optimised for ‘stabilisation’ tasks. However, work begun ahead of
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SDSR, and affirmed by its outcome, has seen these earlier plans revised, with
the MoD-led Naval Design Partnership being tasked in April 2010 to undertake a short study to examine trades that could achieve a smaller, more affordable Type 26 baseline without compromise to survivability or acoustic quietening. In particular, this work identified a series of options against the key design/cost drivers of accommodation, power and propulsion, and mission bay size.
New manning concept For example, accommodation space is reduced, consistent with a new concept of manning designed to bring down the ship complement to a core crew of 130, but with berthing on board for up to 36 more;
this additional accommodation
would provide for augmentation with an enlarged boarding team, an embarked
Warship Technology May 2011
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