The Type 26: Truly Global

The Type 26 Global Combat Ship, which will make up most of the Royal Navy’s frigate fleet, replacing to the Type 23 from the mid-2020

Recently, we have see a move in defence procurement towards more high tech, modern equipment, in all three services but especially in the Royal Navy. There is a lot of attention on the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, which of course, are great achievements for the Navy and for British shipbuilding, but we must also remember the other groundbreaking ships that will make up the high quality fleet of the future. With the Astute Class submarines, which sets new global standards in submarine warfare and stealth, either in service, testing or well under way with their construction, we turn to the next major combatant that will make up the future fighting force of the fleet - the Type 26.

These warships, very appropriately known as the ‘Global Combat Ship’, present an evolution of the traditional Royal Navy Frigates, just as the Type 45 showed an evolution in not just British, but global, Anti-Air destroyers. It seems this class can do it all. From humanitarian assistance (which is important in proving the need for a strong military to those who oppose it) to much needed improvements in anti-ship capabilities, and as well as anti-air capabilities (important for the QE class carrier groups) they provide land attack capabilities previously held purely by the Submarine Service.

It has a flexible mission bay for RIBS and unmanned surface vehicles, space for two merlin or wildcat helicopters on a flight deck capable of carrying chinooks, high tech sonar to continue the Type 23’s Anti-Submarine role (along with the torpedoes loaded on the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters and capability for anti-submarine missiles), and two sets of vertical launching systems: one 48-cell VLS for Sea Ceptor Anti-Air missiles, and one 24-cell strike length VLS for Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, future anti-ship missiles (replacing the aging Harpoon missiles) and potentially anti-submarine missiles, as well as a BAE 5-inch naval, new for the Royal Navy.

A model of a Merlin Mk2 Anti-Submarine Helicopter Landing on a Type 26, these helicopters along with the Wildcats are key to the ships’ anti-submarine role

It could also be no coincidence that it truly is going “Global”. With Australia buying into the project at a price of AUD $35 billion, Canada getting on board as well at a price of CAD $60 billion and Brazil expressing interest, this ship is truly going places no other ship has gone before. And adding to the ‘Global’ aspect of the Type 26, with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson’s recent announcement of plans to open a base in Asia, there’s possibility of a Type 26 being stationed there, along with current plans to permanently station a Frigate in the gulf which would presumably continue as the Type 26 replaces the Type 23.

The Type 23 Firgate, which has been in commission since 1987, with be replaced by 8 Type 26 Global Combat Ships
and at least 5 Type 31e Frigates.

But, as is the case with much of the armed forces, cuts in defence spending have had a negative effect on the Type 26 and the future of the the Royal Navy’s surface combatants. Originally, it was planned to build thirteen Type 26s to replace all the Type 23s, but due to cuts that number was reduced to eight, with five lighter, cheaper general purpose Frigates (the Type 31e) keeping the number of frigates at thirteen. But although, due to their cheap cost, the Type 31s mean that there is room to add more Frigates to the fleet if spending rises, it is not desirable to have less capable warships rather than a full set of Type 26s. I hope, with the Treasury’s spending review next year and the potential for a new PM soon, we may see a large increase in spending, allowing for more Type 31s to make up for their quality through quantity, and in an ideal world a massive increase in spending might lead to more Type 26s.

But despite there being less Type 26s than Type 23s, they make up for this low quantity in world class high quality. Having many roles in the single package of the Global Combat Ship, the Type 26 will rule the waves in the decades to come and help project a truly global Britain around the world