Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate to use half the crew of the Type 23 and embrace automation
The Type 31 frigate has been built with the human factor in mind. (Image: Royal Navy/Crown copyright)
The Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate is incorporating automation, reduced crew requirements and enhanced living conditions into its design as the force attempts to meet modern operational demands.
Navies the world over are facing a trinity of issues: recruiting suitably qualified sailors; equipping larger, more effective ships with smaller crews; and, following the experiences of Covid-19, creating warships suitable for potential long-term living.
At last month’s Surface Warships conference in London, one expert speaker explained how the Royal Navy (RN) was tackling those challenges with radical, novel design and build features in its Inspiration-class Type 31 frigate.
The five-vessel Type 31 class was envisaged as a general purpose vessel to balance the RN’s frigate fleet, including the ageing Duke-class Type 23 and the significantly more high-end anti-submarine war machines
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
