Royal Navy Type 31 build plans remain unclear as name game gets a head start
Despite the selection of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design for the UK Royal Navy’s Type 31 light frigate programme, both potential supplier and customer remain cagey as questions regarding the equipment fit out and build strategy continue to mount.
Promotional material distributed in 2018 by Babcock following its switch to the Arrowhead 140 design (itself a derivative of the OMT’s Iver Huitfeldt) showcased the use of shipbuilding sites across the UK, in keeping with the aspirations of the National Shipbuilding Strategy in supporting a sector struggling to compete against global markets.
However, since the publishing of that material, the UK
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