Modular Type 32 design could gain inspiration from Type 31 frigate
The Type 31 programme entered the Whole Ship Engineering Phase in 2020. (Photo: Babcock)
The planned class of warship will have an ASW capability in addition to acting as a mothership for autonomous MCM systems.
With the UK RN due to retire its Hunt- and Sandown-class mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) from 2023, and with the Defence Command Paper finally confirming that there will be no like-for-like replacement, time is tight to ensure that there will not be a gapping of such a crucial capability.
Given that two of the UK’s shipbuilding primes — BAE Systems on the River Clyde and Babcock at Rosyth — are already busy with Type 26 and Type 31 programmes respectively, the design and build options further exacerbate the MCM timeline.
Babcock’s Type 31 frigate programme was revealed in August 2020
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