"Bright future for Royal Navy" despite shrinking fleet as minister believes autonomous ships will offset gap
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Autonomous vessels will offset the shrinking Royal Navy fleet and bolster it until new frigates are built, a defence minister has said.
Minister for defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, believes there is a “bright future” for the force due to increased investment. Anti-submarine Type 26 frigates and General Purpose Type 31 vessels are being built to succeed their Type 23 counterparts.
They will be supplemented, under the hybrid navy concept, with un-crewed systems controlled by personnel. Despite modern capabilities being on the horizon, the first of the new frigates will not be ready until 2028 at the earliest.
In the agonising wait for replacements, many of the Type 23s are being retired due to their age and falling into disrepair. HMS Lancaster was retired at the end of 2025 in Bahrain, and HMS Richmond - the Duke-class ship that joined HMS Prince of Wales in the Indo-Pacific - is believed to be following suit after a decommissioning ceremony in January this year. This takes the current force of frigates to five.
When asked what will be done to bridge that short term gap before the new ships are ready, Mr Pollard told The News: “We’re moving towards a hybrid navy. We’re having the best in class Type 26s and 31s under construction, and they’ll sail alongside autonomous vessels.
“The concept, set out in the Strategic Defence Review and that Portsmouth is specialising in, will see our crewed platforms supported by autonomous platforms. It increases their lethality and survivability, and the punch that Nato has. That is a bright future for the Royal Navy and all those in uniform.
“This shows investment is coming and good jobs will be created at all three of those dockyards. It’s good we can focus on increasing our capabilities and supporting our people.”
The government has previously pledged to raise defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027, and to meet Nato’s target of 3.5 per cent on core defence by 2035. Despite this, concerns over funding has been on the public consciousness for weeks.
The Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which is due to set out costings for critical reforms, has been delayed since the autumn of 2025. Reports have circulated that the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, met with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss a £28bn shortfall in defence over the next decade.
Reports in the Financial Times said Number 10 is considering whether to relax its fiscal rules so the DIP can be fully adopted. Unite Union secretary Sharon Graham said the government should matches its promises and fund defence properly.
Mr Pollard, Labour, said defence funding will continue to increase to meet capability commitments. He added that personnel will be supported by upgrading “manky” houses in Portsmouth, and investment will be placed into skills to boost the industry that equips them.
During a tour of the University of Portsmouth, he said: “Over the next ten years, funding will increase every single year. There’s not a single person in uniform who has ever worked in our armed forces with a decade of rising defence funding ahead of them.
If we’re going to make the most of that funding, we have to reform and update our armed forces, so they have a greater lethality and greater deterrent ability against our adversaries. If I want to equip the forces with the best equipment and latest tech, we need industry to step up.
“That’s why we’re stepping up and funding skills for the first time. Our universities and colleges are a key part of our national infrastructure. I’m proud of them, and I wanted to see more investment in them. The students that graduate are a key asset to keeping our country safe.”