Fears that new Royal Navy Type 26 frigates could be delayed by Norway deal with "discussions ongoing"
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Discussions are “ongoing” between British and Norwegian officials which could delay new frigates being built for the Royal Navy, a national report has said.
As reported in the Daily Telegraph, both governments are discussing a timeline for when anti-submarine Type 26 frigates will be built and available for both fleets. Britain secured a mammoth £10bn deal to export a minimum of five city-class warships - securing shipbuilding jobs for years to come.
The agreement has been widely hailed as an economic success, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stating this protects national security while maintaining high-skilled jobs in Scotland. Despite these benefits, the agreement brings a logistical challenge as both nations expect delivery of these ships.
Two Type 26 frigates can be built at a time at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Scotland. The expected deadline for vessels to be introduced into the Royal Navy fleet is 2028, with all eight ships due to be delivered by 2035.
Norway’s ministry of defence previously said delivery of their first frigate will start in 2030. The Telegraph said discussions are being held on how to address the issue. They added that possible options is to allow Oslo to take one of the first four Type 26s being built, accelerate work at the shipyard, and expanding build capacity. No decisions have been made yet.
The former would cause problems considering the growing problem where new ships are not being produced fast enough to fill the gaps that older vessels are leaving. Type 26 vessels will be primarily used in the North Atlantic to protect critical undersea infrastructure. Norway and Britain will work together in monitoring the area.
Each vessel will be equipped with a medium-calibre gun, Sea Ceptor missiles, a towed sonar array and a helipad capable of accommodating Merlin and Chinhook helicopters. The first Type 26 frigate, HMS Glasgow, is scheduled to begin sea trials later this year.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman told the Telegraph: “We will agree the specific timelines for delivery of the Norwegian Type 26 frigates during contract negotiations, including which existing build slots will produce ships for Norway. The UK’s Type 26 programme remains unchanged, reaching initial operating capability in 2028 and with the Royal Navy receiving all eight Type 26 frigates during the 2030s, as planned.”