Work on HMS Spey begins
Work has begun on the the future HMS Spey at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard on the Clyde in Scotland, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 21 April.
Spey is one of two Batch 2 River class Offshore Patrol Vessels being built under a £287 million agreement signed between the MoD and BAE Systems in December 2016. The vessel is due to be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2019 and enter service by 2021.
The vessel will be 90 metres long and displace around 2,000 tonnes, and will carry a 30mm cannon and have a flight deck capable of receiving a Merlin helicopter. It will have a maximum speed of 24 knots and will be able to sail 5,500 nautical miles before having to resupply.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
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’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.
-
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.
-
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.