Royal Navy names HMS Spey OPV
The Royal Navy announced the naming of the last of its new River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPV), HMS Spey, during a ceremony held in Glasgow on 3 October.
HMS Spey has been built by BAE Systems built in Glasgow, and is the last of five in its class, the construction of the first of which began in late 2014.
‘Today’s ceremony is a truly significant milestone for the River-class offshore patrol vessel programme and builds on our proud heritage of British shipbuilding here in Glasgow,’ David Shepherd, OPV programme director at BAE Systems, said.
‘There has been fantastic momentum on this programme and the naming of HMS Spey serves as a great reminder of the importance of the capability and skills of our employees who are working together with the Royal Navy and partners to deliver these important ships.’
The vessel will be used to support a range of operations including counter-terrorism, anti-smuggling, and border security.
The first two ships in the class, HMS Forth and HMS Medway, are now in service with the Royal Navy.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
-
Japan’s FY2027 budget bets on stand-off systems to offset demographic decline
Japan’s FY2027 defence budget backs stand-off strike, a 17-aircraft MQ-9B buy and a declared bid to lead the world in uncrewed maritime assets, alongside new frigates, submarines and support ships.
-
Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand
Ukrainian intelligence has catalogued more than 20 Russian uncrewed surface vessels, revealing a portfolio weighted towards mine warfare and logistics, with implications for Western naval investment.
-
Ukraine’s new long-range 12m autonomous vessel can deploy other drones
Ukraine’s UForce unveiled the MV11 uncrewed surface vessel, designed to launch and support other naval drones at sea, fuelling debate over the future of autonomous maritime task groups.