BAE Systems rolls out forward section of Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigate

The bow of HMS Glasgow, the first City-class Type 26 frigate being built for the Royal Navy, has been rolled out of the build hall at our BAE Systems shipyard on the River Clyde.

In a move that lasted 90 minutes, the forward section of HMS Glasgow which contains the bridge, operations room and accommodation spaces, was manoeuvred into position on the hardstand at our Govan yard where it will be joined by the aft section in the coming weeks.

HMS Glasgow is the first in a new generation of Type 26 frigates, designed and built in the ship’s namesake city.

To date, more than £1bn has been invested across the programme’s supply chain, with more than 100 suppliers globally.

“We have now completed the construction of all units of the ship and in the coming weeks our … teams will bring the hull together for the first time,” Simon Lister, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Naval Ships business, commented.

“The roll out is a huge milestone for the Type 26 programme. It’s evidence of our solid progress in building the first of a new class – and presents an opportunity for us to celebrate the progress being made with our colleagues, our suppliers, our customer and the City of Glasgow.”

“The Type 26 is a highly capable ASW warship designed for joint and multinational operations across the full spectrum of warfare and will serve at the heart of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet for decades to come,” Pat Browning, the Type 26 programme Team Leader at Defence Equipment and Support, said.

While HMS Glasgow moves out into the open air for the first time, work continues on the second in class, HMS Cardiff, with construction to start on HMS Belfast later in the year.

The Type 26 frigate is an advanced anti-submarine warship, which will deliver critical protection of the Royal Navy’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent and Carrier Strike Group. The ships will replace the UK’s Type 23 frigates, with the first set to enter service in the mid-2020s.

Each Type 26 will be equipped with a range of capabilities including the Sea Ceptor missile defence system, a 5-inch medium calibre gun, flexible mission bay, Artisan 997 Medium Range Radar, and towed array sonars. The flight deck will be able to accommodate helicopters up to the size of a Chinook, while the mission bay can quickly adapt to house and deploy vessels, vehicles and containers.

The Type 26 is the original variant of BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship, which supports a close partnership between the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Australia and Canada both selected a variant of the Type 26 design for their anti-submarine frigate programmes, supporting greater operational, training and intelligence ties between the three nations.