New generation of warships move closer to service

A brand new generation of warships is moving closer to entering service with the Royal Navy.

Against a backdrop of lights, smoke and music HMS Active has emerged from the assembly hall at a shipyard in Rosyth, near Edinburgh.

It is the second of five type 31 frigates, that will be based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, that are being built in a bid to modernise the fleet.

Speaking at the roll-out, Luke Pollard the Minister for Defence Procurement said he was feeling "pride" at the sight of the vessel coming of the production line.

He said these new "workhorses," which will be based on the south coast of England, will form the "backbone of the Royal Navy".

"New capabilities, new weapons systems, new sensors, new deterrents, that we'll be able to use to keep our country safe for many years to come," Pollard said.

The Devonport MP said he has "a strong connection to the Royal Navy personally" and he wants it have "the best in class frigates".

• The new generation of warships will take over from the Type 23's, and will be about 140 metres long, with Rolls Royce engines and a top speed of about 28 knots (32mph)

• Although larger in size, they will hold less personnel than their predecessors, with a normal crew of around 120 which can rise to 190 if a helicopter is embarked or extra personnel are required for specific missions

• Each ship in what is known as the "Inspiration Class" is costing £250m pounds and will be equipped with Sea Ceptor missiles and a large helicopter landing deck

"These were always designed to be affordable, available and adaptable, that's what we're delivering here to the Royal Navy," said Sir Nick Hine, Chief Executive, Babcock Marine, the firm behind the build.

And Cdr Thomas Hetherington, from the Royal Navy added: "The ship is a highly capable design and is very credible, on the high seas and it will compete alongside other navies."

On the same day that HMS Active was rolled out, there was another ceremony to mark the start of work on HMS Bulldog - with the cutting of the first piece of steel that will be used in the ship's construction.

Pollard added: "We're getting £5bn extra in the defence budget this year, it will be at 2.5% GDP by April 2027, that's three years earlier than anyone expected.

"What I want to make sure is that every penny spent in defence is preparing us for war fighting readiness, that's new capabilities, retiring the old capabilities that would not work in a peer adversary context and bringing on that latest tech, that latest energy in the developments.

"The ship behind me is absolutely key to that but it's one of a new hybrid fleet of Royal Navy ships that is going to do our country proud."

All five frigates are expected to have been delivered by 2030.

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