Defence Minister Announces Acceptance of Royal Navy's New OPV
Ocean News
Katie Callan, OPV Programme Director, shakes hands with Henry Parker, Director Ship Acquisition for Defence, Equipment & Support on 25th January 2018. Property of BAE Systems (Copyright © 2018 BAE Systems. All rights reserved)
Guto Bebb MP, the recently appointed UK Minister for Defence Procurement, visited BAE Systems’ Clyde shipyards to announce the formal acceptance of the first River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), FORTH, by the Ministry of Defence and witness progress on the Type 26 programme as production started on the second hull section of GLASGOW, the first of the City Class frigates.
FORTH will remain at the Scotstoun yard in GLASGOW for a short period to complete some additional work requested by the MOD and on departure will be the first complex warship to leave Glasgow since HMS Duncan in 2013. She is expected to be commissioned into Her Majesty’s fleet at her home port of Portsmouth Naval Base this year.
MEDWAY, the second of class, was named in October 2017 and is set to depart for sea trials in the first half of this year, while TRENT will be formally named in the spring. TAMAR and SPEY, the last of the River Class OPVs are currently under production at BAE Systems’ Govan yard.
Manufacture of the first City Class Type 26 frigates, Glasgow, began in July 2017 and is progressing well with production starting on the second zone of the ship. The first hull section is already taking shape at the Govan yard and the second houses the main machinery space, aviation stores for embarked helicopters and a recreational area for the ships’ 59 senior rates.
During the visit BAE Systems also announced the signing of a £5.6 million contract with General Electric to establish an Electrical Integration and Test Facility in Whetstone, Leicestershire, to enable critical de-risking integration tests for the Type 26 propulsion systems. The agreement, which follows a previous Design Development contract signed in 2016, brings the total committed investment in the facility to around £13 million.
With a cutting edge platform design and the ability to adapt to the requirements of different navies, the Type 26 design has been proposed for the Australian Government’s anti-submarine warfare frigate programme and the Canadian Surface Combatant programme.
For more information, click here.
