Type 26 warship HMS Glasgow to have sea trials soon - how close are frigates to joining Royal Navy fleet
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Work is currently being undertaken on five submarine-hunting warships
An advanced new warship being built for the Royal Navy will be undertaking sea trials soon.
HMS Glasgow, the first of the City-class Type 26 frigates, is expected to take on advanced operations for the first time. She is currently in the BAE Systems Scotstoun shipyard, where crucial systems are being fitted onboard.
Stated in the BAE Systems half year results, the company said: “We are progressing the eight ship Type 26 frigate programme for the Royal Navy, with five ships already under construction and a focus on commissioning key systems in preparation for first-in-class sea trials.”
How close are the Type 26 ships to being in the Royal Navy fleet? HMS Glasgow and HMS Newcastle
HMS Glasgow was floated off of Glen Mallen in 2022. Her engines were fired up for the first time in December 2025. As reported in the UK Defence Journal, major equipment including the Mk 45 Mod 4A 127mm naval gun has been fitted.
The foredeck has been prepared to receive the Sea Ceptor and MK 41 vertical launch system modules, and the bow and towed array sonar systems have been installed. Much work this year has focused on commissioning equipment and integrating systems ahead of sea trials.
It’s expected that contractor sea trials will start before the end of 2026 or early 2027. Full operational capability is expected in 2028, with the rest of the ships being ready mainly in the 2030s.
Through the financial results, BAE Systems confirmed that work will soon start on HMS Newcastle. They said: “Preparations to start construction of the sixth Type 26 frigate for the Royal Navy are well underway, with long-lead equipment items already in progress. Across the five ships under construction, we will continue to focus on commissioning key systems in preparation for first-in-class sea trials.”
HMS Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, and Sheffield
The second of the eight ships, HMS Cardiff, set sail for the first time in September 2024. Since then, she has been brought to Scotstoun and is currently in the afloat fitting-out phase. Progress is behind HMS Glasgow, with major equipment installations and system integration still planned.
The next three ships in the queue - HMS Belfast, HMS Birmingham, and HMS Sheffield - are currently being worked on at the Govan shipyard. Large steel structures for these ships have been transported by Cammall Laird in Birkenhead to Glasgow.