UK Navy – My Blog

HMS Magpie, the catamaran workboat, started sea trials

In May 2018, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK (AEUK) will deliver its first multi-role SEA Class workboat to the Royal Navy. Named HMS MAGPIE the Hydrographic Survey Motor Launch will replace HMS Gleaner after 34 years of service.

HMS MAGPIE is the largest vessel from a range of craft to be supplied by AEUK. A total of up to 38 workboats will be delivered from 2018 to 2024.

The vessel is designed for ocean research and hydrographic survey. She has an endurance of 7 days with 12 crew. HMS Magpie has 23kts maximum speed and a 1,400 mile range at 9 knots survey speed.

US & UK awarded General Dynamics a contract modification for Navy Submarine Missile Tube Components

General Dynamics Electric Boat subsidiary has received a five-year, $126.2 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy and the UK Government to obtain long-lead-time materials for the missile tube of Columbia-class and Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines.

The contract modification includes funding for procurement of long-lead time material for missile tubes which will be integrated into both the Navy’s new SSBN and the Royal Navy’s Dreadnought-class strategic missile submarine.

According to official announcement from Department of Defense on April 2;

“This is a joint U.S./United Kingdom (U.K.) Common Missile Compartment program, and this modification combines purchases for the Navy (72 percent); and the government of the U.K. (28 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Work will be performed in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and is expected to be completed by December 2023. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and U.K. funding in the amount of $79,664,255 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.”

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Sources:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com
https://www.defense.gov/

Royal Navy stands ready to protect Brexit Britain’s fishing waters

The latest Navy Ship has been accepted by Minister of Defence of United Kingdom last month.

According to Daily Mail news, Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, claimed that The Royal Navy ‘stands ready’ to protect Britain’s fisheries after taking delivery of the first of five OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessel)

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“The Royal Navy has a proud tradition of protecting the UK’s coastline and keeping a close eye on our fishing waters. With these state-of-the-art, vastly capable ships we stand ready to protect our fisheries once Britain leaves the EU.”

Downing Street insisted this week Brexit would still eventually allow Britain to fully control its fishing waters for the first time in 40 years despite the transition deal effectively binding fishermen into EU rules for another two years.

The other tasks of the new class OPV will include counter-piracy, anti-smuggling, border patrol, counter terrorism and maritime defence duties. The 90 meter long, 2,000 tonnes OPV includes a modified flight deck capable of operating the latest Merlin helicopters, larger stores and more accommodation for embarked troops. As OPVs, these ocean-going boats have the size, capacity for mission endurance of 35 days, and operate at distance of 5,500 nautical miles from shore. It can develop a maximum speed of 24 knots. The ship’s flight deck supports medium helicopters up to a Merlin size, two RHIB boats and a 16-ton crane are also included. The vessel is armed with a gun turret mounting a 30mm cannon as its main armament.

HMS Forth, one of five new OPVs being delivered for the Royal Navy, will enter service this year. Her sister ships – HMS Medway, HMS Trent, HMS Tamar and HMS Spey – are all expected to enter service by 2020.

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Sources;

www.royalnavy.mod.uk

www.gov.uk

www.defense-update.com

www.dailymail.co.uk

HBB News Youtube Channel

HMS Ocean was decommissioned after 20 years of service

Royal Navy has announced that HMS Ocean was officially decommissioned in Devonport on 27 March.

The Queen was welcomed to Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport as guest of honour at the ceremony. She was joined by the head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones and more than 500 of the ship’s company, their families and affiliates of the ship.

The ship officially leaves service with the Royal Navy this week after an eventful 20-year history. During her busy career HMS Ocean has shown she is not only a warship that can engage the enemy, but engages with the world as a symbol of UK influence.

In her 20 years of service, HMS Ocean has been involved in operations off Sierra Leone (2000), off Iraq (2003), off Libya (2011) and, most recently, humanitarian operations in the Caribbean.

The vessel has been sold for GBP84 million (USD118 million) to Brazil and will be handed over in June.

The new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers will eventually take on the role as the nation’s new flagships.

Sources:
http://www.janes.com/
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/

UK MoD announced a contract with BAE Systems to update Type 45 destroyer propulsion system

The Ministry of Defence has announced a £160 million contract with BAE Systems to update the power and propulsion system fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers.

According to official announcement; The Power Improvement Project (PIP) will enhance the resilience of the Type 45 class by installing additional power generation sources in each ship.

The contract has been awarded to BAE Systems, in collaboration with BMT Defence services and Cammell Laird. The physical conversion work will be conducted at Cammell Laird’s ship yard in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

Director Ships Support at the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, Neal Lawson said:

“This contract demonstrates our ability to collaborate effectively with industry and I am extremely pleased with how the team at DE&S have worked rapidly to meet requirements.The PIP will ensure the fleet of highly sophisticated Type 45s can continue to be deployed successfully on operations around the globe, protecting the UK’s interests worldwide.”

As stated by SaveTheRoyalNavy.com; a feasibility study into upgrading the generators was completed by BAES and the MoD in March 2015. The funding for the “Type 45 machinery improvement package” was agreed in the November 2015 SDSR and at least the problem has finally been recognised and funds are in place. Each vessel will have to be dry-docked, large openings cut in the hull and one or possibly two new diesel generator sets slid into place.

The first of class conversion is expected to complete in 2021, with follow on ships completed during the early 2020s.

You can read the details of the propulsion problems and the whole story so far in this article by savetheroyalnavy.com

Leander concept for Royal Navy Type 31e Frigate

Cammell Laird and BAE Systems have teamed up to compete for the Type 31e frigate programme with their ‘Leander’ concept. Cammell Laird will be the prime contractor with BAES providing the design and systems integration expertise.

Forming the centrepiece of the MoD’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Type 31e programme envisages the fast-track acquisition of a globally deployable but affordable frigate geared towards maritime security and defence engagement operations. A ceiling price of GBP250 million (USD350 million) per ship has been set for the first batch of five frigates, which are intended to enter RN service from 2023 to replace the five general purpose-roled Type 23 frigates.

CL project director, Tony Graham said “In order to win this competition, we must be better, cheaper and faster than anyone else… fundamentally, we recognised that this ship has to work straight out of the box” MoD is expected to award the Type 31e contract in March 2019 and if the Leander bid was successful it could see steel cutting beginning on Merseyside in March 2020.

The Leander design is evolved from the 3 Khareef-class corvettes built by BAE Systems in Portsmouth for the navy of Oman under a £400M contract between 2009-2014

Lockheed Martin to supply MK 41 VLS for Royal Navy Type 26 Frigate

BAE Systems awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to equip the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS).

“Lockheed Martin has a long and successful partnership with the Royal Navy, and we look forward to working with BAE Systems to integrate the MK 41 VLS with the Type 26,” said Paul Livingston, Group Managing Director of Lockheed Martin UK Rotary and Mission Systems. “The MK 41 VLS will provide the Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ships with a proven and cost-effective vertical launching solution.”

Each Type 26 will be equipped with three 8-cell MK 41 VLS modules. BAE Systems’ initial order includes nine MK 41 VLS modules, enough for the first three ships of the class.

There have been more than 3,850 successful firings worldwide. MK41 VLS has been successfully integrated and is in service with the U.S. and 12 allied navies on nearly 200 ships representing 20 ship classes.

Lockheed Martin Official Press Release here.

For additional info please visit MK41 VLS product page here.

BAE Systems to demonstrate Type 31e design at DIMDEX 2018

Visitors to DIMDEX, the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference, which is being held from 12-14 March in Doha, Qatar, will be able to see BAE Systems’ proposed design for the Type 31e frigate competition in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88VUe98dSNI

BAE Systems has brought together its warship design and engineering capability and combat systems expertise with Cammell Laird, the commercial shipbuilder, in a Teaming Agreement to bid for the contract to deliver Type 31e, the UK’s adaptable general purpose frigate.

A key part of the Type 31e programme is configuring the new frigate and its Combat Management System to be attractive to potential international customers and DIMDEX is the first time BAE Systems is showcasing its proposed design outside the UK.

With a proposed top speed in excess of 25 knots and a range of more than 7,500 miles, BAE Systems’ design is equipped with some of the most modern and effective weapons systems available, and has been designed to operate in international waters, including the Gulf. It is capable of operating both independently for significant periods and as part of a task group, offering enormous value in bringing together allied maritime nations.

United Kingdom has finally decided to order a seventh Astute Class Submarine

The Ministry of Defence has announced it will sign a contract for Astute boat seven.

According to the Ministry of Defence; the United Kingdom has finally decided to order a seventh boat, and the contract with BAE will be formalized this year.

Negotiations are ongoing and the contingent liabilities will come into force on signature of the contract.

The Departmental Minute describes the Contingent Liability that the MOD will hold as a result of placing the Astute Boat 7 ‘Whole Boat’ Contract, which will provide for the production and testing of the Vessel. The maximum contingent liability against the MOD is unquantifiable and will remain until the Out of Service Date of the submarine.

Within the Boat 7 contract, BAE Systems Marine Ltd limit their exposure to Product Liability to £1 billion per incident and £300 million in any 12-month period. This limits the contractor’s exposure for claims by the MOD for losses associated with the product being defective or deficient, and creates an exposure for MOD to third party claims against the contractor for losses associated with the product being defective or deficient. It is the view of the Department that the likelihood of any claim is remote.

Plasan signs contract with BAE Systems to provide armour for the Type 26 Frigate fleet

Israeli firm Plasan announced that they have signed a contract with BAE Systems, to provide armour for the Type 26 Frigate fleet.

The new Type 26 Frigate designed and built by BAE Systems is the new class selected for the replacement of eight anti-submarine frigates of the Duke class currently in service with the Royal Navy.

Plasan is expected to begin the production of armour for the first three vessels of the class this year under the arrangement.

Official press release here