Free Republic

Arrowhead frigate design for Royal Navy Type 31E competition. Babcock Photo LONDON — Plans to build five Type 31e frigates for the Royal Navy have been thrown into disarray after Britain’s defense chiefs decided to pause the procurement competition. At least three industry teams are vying to build the new maritime security-focused platforms, the first of which was supposed to enter service when the late 1980s-era Type 23 frigates start to leave the fleet in 2023. With a fast-track acquisition contest heating up this summer, the Ministry of Defence has now abruptly halted the $1.64 billion effort due to what...

BMT Defence bid for the Royal Navy Type 31E Frigate LONDON — The Royal Navy’s planned Type-31e light frigate will transform the dismal export record of U.K.-based shipbuilders, a senior government minister told attendees at the DSEI exhibition in London. U.K. defense secretary Sir Michael Fallon said that Britain’s shipyards have not built a frigate for another country since the 1970s. “We’re changing all that”, he declared in a keynote speech on Wednesday. “This frigate will rock the exports boat and it’s a model for the way we will approach shipbuilding in future.” The U.S. Navy is among potential overseas...