Construction starts on UK’s third Type 31 frigate

British aerospace, defense and nuclear engineering services company Babcock has held a steel-cutting ceremony for the Royal Navy’s third Type 31 frigate, HMS Formidable.

As informed, the ceremony took place at the Rosyth facility in Scotland on October 9, 2024, marking the official start of the ship’s build program.

Formidable is the third of five Type 31 frigates now under construction, alongside HMS Venturer and Active which are taking shape in the huge assembly hall specially built for them.

The first Type 31 Frigate, HMS Venturer, is nearing structural completion, with the final unit now added to the vessel within the Rosyth assembly hall alongside HMS Active.

Known collectively as the Inspiration class, all five ships take their names from previous Royal Navy vessels.

The Type 3 frigates of working require only 60 per cent of the crew – around 120 sailors compared with 180-200 in existing vessels, according to Babcock.

All five Inspiration-class ships are equipped with a 57mm main gun with programmable ammunition to fend off threats on land, sea and in the air, plus two 40mm Bofors guns, the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system, a 4D radar, one of the largest flight decks in the navy and a large hold to fit equipment for specific missions – such as diving, minehunting kit, drones or disaster-relief supplies.

Completed sections of Formidable will move into the assembly hall once HMS Venturer is rolled out next year. Still to come in the five-ship class are HMS Bulldog and finally Campbeltown. 

“This government is committed to making Britain secure at home and strong abroad. These frigates will be at the heart of the Royal Navy fleet, deterring aggression and supporting our military,” Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said.

“A key element of the Type 31 programme is the potential to work with the UK Government to secure a range of export opportunities, further supporting the UK economy and jobs. Arrowhead 140, the base design of the Type 31, has already been successfully exported to the Indonesian and Polish governments, with both programmes already in build in the respective countries.”