Type 26 frigate

Future Surface Combatant The Global Combat Ship started development under the original Future Surface Combatant (FSC) programme intended to replace the Royal Navy's Type 22 and Type 23 frigates. Planning for a replacement escort vessel started in 1998 with the ordering of a research vessel, , to study whether a trimaran design was practical for such a large and complex vessel. More conventional designs however, were ultimately preferred. In March 2005, plans were released for a two-class solution, a cheaper "Medium Sized Vessel Derivative" entering service in 2016–19 and a more capable "Versatile Surface Combatant" entering service around 2023. In early 2006 the MoD started a Sustained Surface Combatant Capability (S2C2) programme which explored synergies between the FSC and other needs, for minesweepers, patrol ships and survey ships. By early 2007 this had crystallised into the three requirements; C1, C2 and C3. The C1 was to be an anti-submarine warfare task group-enabled platform and would displace around 6,000 tonnes. C2 was to be a more general purpose platform displacing somewhere in the region of 4–5,000 tonnes, and C3 was to be a Global Corvette to replace a larger number of smaller vessels in service, such as minesweepers, patrol and survey ships. The Global Corvette was to displace around 2–3,000 tonnes. The C3 concept began in early 2004 when the MoD issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a smaller class of ship known as the Global Corvette. Low running costs and the ability to operate forward in shallow, coastal areas where larger ships cannot were both important. BAE Systems, VT Group, Thales and Rolls-Royce responded in the autumn of 2004 with concepts ranging from a well-equipped Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of 1,500 tonnes to an advanced and very capable "corvette" of 3,000 tonnes, along the lines of the USN's Littoral Combat Ship programme (LCS). The FSC concept was brought forward in the 2008 budget, at the expense of options for two Type 45 destroyers not being taken up (ships 7 and 8). In 2009 BAE Systems received a contract to design the C1 and C2 frigates with a planned 25-year life. A total of 18 vessels (10 C1 and 8 C2) were planned to enter service from 2020, at a pace of roughly one per year. In early 2010 the C3 variant was dropped in favour of the Mine Countermeasures, Hydrography and Patrol Capability (MHPC) programme. Global Combat Ship Official mention of the Future Surface Combatant had all but disappeared by 2010, and on 25 March of that year, BAE Systems were given a four-year, £127 million contract by the Ministry of Defence to fully design a new class of warship, the "Global Combat Ship", previously C1 of the FSC. Expectations at the time were for the first ship to be "in service" by 2021. The October 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) reaffirmed the government's commitment to the Global Combat Ship, saying; "As soon as possible after 2020 the Type 23 will be replaced by Type 26 frigates, designed to be easily adapted to change roles and capabilities depending on the strategic circumstances". As part of the defence review it was also announced that the remaining Type 22 frigates would be decommissioned without replacement, reducing the Royal Navy's escort fleet from 23 destroyers and frigates to 19 (6 Type 45 destroyers and 13 Type 23 frigates). On 30 November 2010 however, it was reported that the specifications had been pared down, in effort to reduce the cost from £500M to £250–350M per ship. Subsequently, new specification details began to emerge of a smaller 5,400 tonne ship emphasising flexibility and modularity. Unlike the FSC, the Global Combat Ship has only one hull design. Like the Franco-Italian family of FREMM multipurpose frigates however, three versions are proposed for export: a design optimised for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), an anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) variant and a general purpose (GP) variant. Although a decision was made in November 2010 to reduce the specifications and capability requirements of the Global Combat Ship design, BAE Systems' design concepts by 2014 had returned to their original working baseline of a large 6,900 tonne warship. A 12-month demonstration phase began on 1 April 2015 and, after a 12-month extension in March 2016, was scheduled to be completed in June 2017. Primarily due to the costs of the ship, the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review reduced the planned procurement of Type 26 vessels from 13 ships to 8. The resulting gap would now be filled by a new class of cheaper frigate designated Type 31. On 2 July 2017, BAE Systems announced it had been awarded a £3.7 billion contract by the UK MoD to manufacture the first three Type 26 ships. The statement said that steel would be cut for the first ship in Glasgow "in the coming weeks." The cost for the current eight ships was quoted as £8 billion in 2016. Three ships were ordered in 2017 for £3.7 billion. ==Partnerships==

The Global Combat Ship has been designed from the outset with export in mind. During a House of Commons debate on 31 January 2011, it was revealed that Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Turkey had all expressed interest in collaborating on the Global Combat Ship. Australia The governments of the United Kingdom and Australia had previously been exploring the potential for cooperation on the C1 and C3 designs of the Future Surface Combatant, which corresponded closely to the Royal Australian Navy's requirements in replacing its s with a new class of frigate. The two countries signed a defence cooperation treaty in January 2013 and Australia pledged cooperation on the Global Combat Ship design in order to investigate its suitability for their own procurement programme. In April 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that the Global Combat Ship was one of three designs shortlisted for the replacement of the Anzac-class frigates. In September 2016 the Australian government awarded BAE Systems a contract to further refine the design of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship for the Royal Australian Navy under the SEA 5000 (Future Frigate) programme. Australia issued a request for tenders (RFT) in support of the programme in late March 2017. The programme is valued at AUD35 billion (US$26.25 billion). On 10 August 2017 BAE Systems announced it had submitted its bid for the SEA 5000 programme. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced in June 2018 that BAE had won the contract and Australia would build nine units of a modified version of the Type 26 concept vessel in Adelaide. On 20 February 2024 the Australian government announced the Hunter class order will be reduced from nine to six ships. Another class of 11 new general-purpose frigates would be selected to serve alongside the Hunter class. Canada During the House of Commons debate of 31 January 2011, it was also disclosed that the Canadian government was interested in collaborating on the Global Combat Ship and that the UK and Canada were in "close discussion". However, a Canadian union campaigned that the Global Combat Ship threatened Canadian shipbuilders, and in the run-up to the May 2011 election a spokesman for Peter MacKay, at the time Canadian Defence Minister, ruled out involvement with the British programme. Turkey also later rejected the design in 2012 as not meeting its requirements. Although Canada had previously ruled out partnership with the British programme, in May 2016 IHS Janes reported that the Global Combat Ship was still one of the contenders for the Canadian Surface Combatant requirement. Indeed, in November 2017, a Lockheed Martin-led consortium put forward their "CSC Proposal", based on the Type 26 design by BAE Systems, for the Royal Canadian Navy's future frigate project. On 19 October 2018 it was announced that BAE-Lockheed Martin was selected as the 'preferred' bidder in the Canadian Surface Combatant programme and that the Canadian government would begin negotiations to award a contract for 15 ships worth CAD$60 billion with BAE and Lockheed Martin Canada, the primary contractors. The preferred bid beat out offers from Alion Science and Technology and their proposal based on the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën air defence and command (LCF) frigate and Navantia/Saab/CEA Technologies with their proposal based on the Spanish Navy F-105 frigate. On 21 November 2018, Alion Science and Technology asked the Federal Court for a judicial review of the decision, claiming the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender, including the mandatory speed requirements set by the Royal Canadian Navy. On 27 November 2018, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ordered the Government to postpone the finalising of the deal to purchase the ships, while the complaint from Alion was investigated. On 11 December 2018, the CITT gave the government a green light to proceed with the Lockheed contract, but its inquiry into the compliance of the Type 26 with Canada's requirements continued. The Tribunal dismissed the case entirely in February 2019. The Canadian Surface Combatant design contract was signed on 7 February 2019 by the Liberal government. The design contract with Irving and the Lockheed Martin-BAE consortium was negotiated in near record time, taking only three months. On 28 June 2024, the construction of production test modules for the first three ships began, with the new ships designated as the River class; the names of the first three ships were also announced as HMCS Fraser, HMCS Saint-Laurent and HMCS Mackenzie. The ships were designated as destroyers (DDGH) as defined in NATO STANAG 1166, a NATO-level ship designator system. Full rate production was expected to begin in 2025 with the first ship planned for service entry in the early 2030s. Norway On 15 April 2024, The Daily Telegraph reported that Norway, which had a plan to purchase at least five frigates, was a potential customer for the Type 26 frigate. However, as Norway was reportedly seeking at least one frigate by 2029, the article stated that this would require the Royal Navy to sell one of its early-stage hulls, as BAE is committed to deliver the Type 26 to the UK first. The MoD confirmed that it was involved in discussions about the issue but that no decisions had been made. On 31 August 2025, the Norwegian Government reported it had chosen the UK as its strategic partner to acquire frigates. It confirmed a £10 billion deal to purchase at least 5 Type 26 frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy, to replace its Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Described as Norway's largest defence investment to date, they will also be part of a joint British-Norwegian fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare frigates (8 British and at least 5 Norwegian) operating in Northern Europe. The first Norwegian Type 26 is expected to be delivered by 2029 – this may require one of the hulls being built for the United Kingdom (either Belfast or Birmingham) to be diverted to the Norwegian order to meet the timescale requirement. ==Possible partnerships==

Brazil In September 2010, the British and Brazilian governments reached a defence agreement, including the potential sale of five or six Global Combat Ships to the Brazilian Navy. The following month, BAE Systems formally made a detailed proposal to the Brazilian Navy, for a package including the Global Combat Ship as well as variants of the Wave-class tanker and River-class patrol vessel. ==Characteristics==

The Global Combat Ship is designed with modularity and flexibility in mind to enhance versatility across the full range of operations, including maritime security, counter-piracy, counter-terrorist and humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The adaptable design will facilitate through-life support, ensuring upgrades can easily be undertaken as technology develops. The Global Combat Ship is designed for up to 60 days' endurance and a range of approximately . A large Integrated Mission Bay and hangar is located amidship, enabling a variety of missions and associated equipment. The hangar also has space to accommodate unmanned aerial vehicles. The Royal Navy's version of the Global Combat Ship is referred to as the Type 26 frigate. This will be equipped with the Type 997 Artisan 3D search radar and Sea Ceptor (CAMM) air-defence missiles launched via 48 vertical launching system (VLS) canisters. Following a renovation of the Royal Navy's website in mid-2023 the section outlining the Type 26's weapon suite refers to Sea Ceptor being quad-packed into a separate 12-cell vertical launch system, which seems to indicate that an Extensible Launching System (ExLS) outfit could be provided for the same number of missiles. No official information outside of the website has been provided to confirm any such change. In addition to the above missile systems, 24 Mark 41 "strike-length VLS" cells are positioned forward of the bridge. On 8 July 2021, it was confirmed that the Anglo-French-Italian Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon(s) would be brought into service on the Type 26, The Global Combat Ship will also be fitted with guns of various calibres. Instead of the RN's current 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun, the Global Combat Ship will be equipped with a NATO-standard BAE 5-inch, 62-calibre Mark 45 naval gun. Smaller guns include two Phalanx CIWS, two 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Guns and a number of miniguns and general-purpose machine guns. On 26 March 2024, it was announced that Sea Gnat fixed decoy launching system would be replaced across the entire Royal Navy's escort fleet with SEA's Ancilia trainable decoy launcher including on the Type 26 following the signing of a £135 million contract. A pair of launchers will be mounted to the deck and will each provide twelve ready rounds of Infrared seduction decoys and radio frequency distraction decoys to defeat missile threats and possibly the ability to launch Martlet missiles in the future. The propulsion system of the RN ships will consist of a gas turbine direct drive and four high speed diesel generators driving two electric motors in a combined diesel-electric or gas (CODLOG) configuration. In 2012 Rolls-Royce repackaged the MT30 used in the s so that it would fit into smaller ships. The MT30 will be used in the Type 26. BAE Systems has suggested that some customers will install gas turbine engines and others will prefer to sacrifice 2–3 knots of speed by choosing cheaper diesel engines. The CODLOG configuration for propulsion is a simpler version of the Combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) propulsion used on the Type 23 which this ship is to replace, and both of the Global Combat Ship's design contemporaries – the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and the Type 45 destroyer – use integrated electric propulsion (IEP). == Construction ==

The first steel for the first three of eight Royal Navy ships was cut on 20 July 2017. In December 2016, BAE Systems announced the award of six additional Type 26 equipment manufacturing contracts with Detegase of Spain for sewage and water treatment, Salt Separation Services for desalination equipment, Johnson Controls for chilled water plants, Marine Systems Technology Ltd for gas-, weather-, and water-tight doors, hatches, and Rolls-Royce for stabilisers and steering components. Also awarded a contract was Pellegrini Marine Equipments of Italy. These awards brought to £380 million the total investment in the supply chain for the Type 26. According to Gary McCloskey, head of Type 26 supply chain at BAE Systems, by March 2017 between 40 and 50 suppliers were engaged in the Type 26 programme, and about 33 had full contracts. On 5 April 2017 Raytheon Anschütz announced successful integration of Warship Electronic Chart Display Information System (WECDIS) into their Integrated Navigation and Bridge Systems (INBS) for the Type 26. In July 2017 BAE Systems stated that the Type 26 programme currently employs more than 1,200 people in the UK supply chain, and in the future, the programme would secure more than 3,400 jobs across BAE Systems and the wider UK maritime supply chain. As part of the Type 26 frigate programme, BAE Systems has subcontracted the construction of various hull sections to several UK shipyards. These contracts are awarded on a per-ship basis, with each yard responsible for fabricating specific units that are subsequently transported to BAE's facility in Govan for final assembly. These include: • Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, which has delivered large modular blocks for HMS Belfast, as well as a 1,000-tonne consolidated hull section for HMS Birmingham, and a bow section delivered on 7 March 2026. • A&P Tyne in Hebburn, which completed four stern-end hull units for HMS Belfast. • Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, which began work in 2024 on three steel hull modules for HMS Belfast, marking the yard's first contribution to a Royal Navy warship. ==Ships of the class==

The original planning assumption for the Royal Navy was for thirteen Global Combat Ships (eight ASW and five GP), replacing the Type 23 frigate fleet like-for-like. As a result of the November 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review however, it was decided that only the eight anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates would be ordered. The funding for the remaining five general purpose Type 26 frigates is instead to be spent on developing a new class of lighter and more affordable general purpose frigates (GPFF). Due to an expected lower cost, the government suggested it may allow an eventual increase in the total number of frigates in the Royal Navy. In July 2016, BAE revealed two general purpose frigate designs to meet the requirement; the Avenger class and the Cutlass class. On 12 September 2019 it was announced that Babcock's Arrowhead 140 design, based on the Danish , had been selected for the Type 31 frigate program. Naming the ships launch barge Malin Augustea CD01, for launching at Glen Mallan about from Govan. Royal Navy During 2014, a campaign emerged to name one of the ships , although Royal Navy ship names are formed via the Ships' Names and Badges Committee. In July 2017, construction of the first ship began in Govan; at the same time as work on the ship was started, it was announced that it would be named . In March 2018 the First Sea Lord, Admiral Philip Jones, announced that the second ship of the class would be . In September 2018 it was announced that the first of the planned five Batch 2 ships would be . In November 2018, subsequent Batch 2 ships were announced as HMS Sheffield, , and . Of the eight names, six were previously used as names of Type 42 destroyers, while the previous HMS London was a Type 22 frigate. HMS Sheffield was previously used on both a Type 22 frigate and a Type 42 destroyer before that. An order for the final five ships in the class was formally placed in November 2022. Royal Australian Navy In June 2018, on the announcement that the Type 26 had been selected as the basis for the Future Frigate programme of the Royal Australian Navy, it was also announced that they would be known as the Hunter class, with the names of the first three given as HMAS Hunter, HMAS Flinders and HMAS Tasman. All three were named for seafarers that had played a significant role in the early history of modern Australia - John Hunter was an officer of the Royal Navy who, between 1795 and 1800, served as the second Governor of New South Wales; Matthew Flinders was a cartographer who undertook the first inshore circumnavigation and survey of the Australian continent between 1802 and 1803; and Abel Tasman was a Dutch explorer who discovered the island that came to be called Tasmania in 1642. Of the first three, only Flinders has been used previously in the RAN, having been used as the name of a survey ship in service between 1973 and 1998. Royal Canadian Navy In June 2024, the announcement of the order being placed for the first three ships of the Canadian Surface Combatant programme also saw them being named as River class (with the Canadian ships being classed as destroyers rather than frigates). The names of the three individual ships was also announced, with each being named for a Canadian river. All three had previously been used as the names of ships from a series of destroyer escorts in service with the Royal Canadian Navy from the 1950s to the 1990s. HMCS Fraser and HMCS Saint-Laurent are named for members of the , a class of ASW destroyers commissioned in the mid to late 1950s. HMCS Mackenzie is named for the lead ship of the , a type of destroyer used for general purpose and training duties. List of ships ==Similar ships==

• ASWF of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Belgian navy. • of the United States • FREMM multipurpose frigate – a Franco-Italian design adopted by the navies of France, Italy, Morocco, and Egypt • of the Indian Navy • , a Spanish design adopted by the Spanish and Australian navies • MKS 180 frigate of the German Navy • Defence and intervention frigate (FDI) of the French Navy ==See also==