Fleet Solid Support ship contract placed
A rendering of the Team Resolute Fleet Solid Support ship design. (Photo: Navantia)
The UK MoD has formally awarded Team Resolute – a consortium of Navantia UK, Harland & Wolff, and BMT – a £1.6 billion ($1.97 billion) contract to build three new naval support ships.
The three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships will be assembled at Harland & Wolff, with blocks and modules to be constructed at Navantia’s Cadiz shipyard and Harland & Wolff’s Belfast and Appledore facilities.
They will be the first ships built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast since MV Anvil Point in 2002.
Related Articles
UK selects Harland & Wolff, Navantia and BMT team for support ships
Harland & Wolff boss touts UK credentials of support ship win
Navantia and SH Defence tie the knot on The Cube
The contract will see £100 million ($123 million) invested into UK shipyards.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘This contract is a significant boost to the UK’s historic shipbuilding industry, balancing shipbuilding across the Union.
‘Creating jobs and prosperity, Team Resolute is bringing shipbuilding back to Belfast, developing a modern, resilient and thriving shipbuilding industry that will support naval and commercial shipbuilding into the future.’
Production is set to start in 2025, with recapitalisation and yard improvements to begin immediately.
All three ships are expected to be operational by 2032.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Kongsberg to develop improved Naval Strike Missile
Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile was developed in the early 2000s and delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces from 2011 to 2015. The new missile will be a collaborative project between Norway and Germany and has been planned to be deployed on both countries' naval vessels.
-
Systematic selected to provide C2 solution for German F126 Frigates
The F126 frigate-class has been developed under the MKS 180 frigate programme for the German Navy and has been designed to produce one of the largest German surface warships in more than seven decades.