Военное обозрение By Top War
Problems plague the British fleet everywhere. From a shortage of personnel, due to which quite combat-ready frigates were decommissioned, to constant technical problems on the ships of the Royal fleet – this is the current situation in the British Navy.
Four Type 23 frigates, including Monmouth, Montrose, Westminster and Argyll, were withdrawn from service without replacement. Another frigate, Northumberland, was transferred to the Babcock frigate support center in Davenport in March this year.
Apparently, the initial inspection and fault detection of the Northumberland showed disappointing results, and repairs to the ship have not yet begun. It probably won’t start, given that the Iron Duke’s £103 million refurbishment has also not been completed. They plan to write it off next year.
It was planned that the Iron Duke would be equipped with the S2087 sonar system with the Westminster, but it is unknown whether such a castling was made or whether it remained only on paper. There is no point in spending such large sums on a ship that has only two or three years of active service left.
The frigate Lancaster is due to be decommissioned in 2025-26. It is the oldest surviving Type 23 ship and has been in the Persian Gulf for three years. Its condition is probably not the best, and there is no point in repairing it.
The frigate Richmond was supposed to replace Lancaster, but an unplanned trip to the Red Sea probably seriously delayed the rotation. When the Lancaster returns from the Persian Gulf, it will likely be phased out.
The frigate HMS Kent is currently being prepared for maintenance with a replacement PGMU. Considering how long such repairs usually take, we can assume that it will not be back in service any time soon.
Depending on when Kent departs and what happens to HMS Northumberland, the number of frigates could potentially be reduced to just seven ships in 2026, of which only five would actually be operational.
Now let’s talk about new ships
The Type 26 Glasgow and Type 31 Venturer frigates are due to enter service in late 2027 or early 2028. However, it is difficult to say how realistic this is. The Venturer has not even been launched yet, although the hull and propulsion system are said to be in a high state of completion.
However, there are problems. Firstly, the cost of the ships was significantly underestimated when concluding contracts, which led to a conflict between Babcock and the Admiralty. Builders demand additional money, but admirals do not want or cannot give it. They tried to resolve the dispute out of court, but have not yet resolved it…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (en.topwar.ru)
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