BAE cuts steel on fourth Type 26, makes headway on new shipbuilding hall
The eight Type 26s on order will replace the bulk of the UK RN's Duke-class Type 23 frigates. (Photo: BAE Systems)
BAE Systems has cut steel on the UK’s fourth Type 26 frigate HMS Birmingham and made progress on the site of its future shipbuilding hall, filling in a former wet basin.
Cutting steel for HMS Birmingham, marks the formal start of production of the second batch of Type 26 frigates, following the award of a £4.2 billion contract for five further ships to BAE Systems in November last year.
In total, BAE Systems is building eight City-class Type 26 frigates for the UK RN.
To support the programme, BAE Systems is adding a new shipbuilding hall to its site in Govan, Glasgow. The 175m long and 85m wide hall will allow two Type 26 frigates to be worked on under cover simultaneously.
This should mean the final five ships are
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
![How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China]()
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
-
![UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet]()
UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet
The UK MoD is scoping out systems to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems, with a focus on low-cost modularity and speed to field.
