https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...gned-5l97th9jbBoost for shipyard as deal for five frigates is signed
The government has signed a £1.25 billion deal with a defence giant to build five
Type 31e frigates at a Scottish shipyard.
A consortium led by
Babcock beat two rival bids to build the cut-price warships, which are 140m long. The Ministry of Defence had set a ceiling of £250 million per ship, which critics initially decried as unrealistic. The new fleet of general purpose “budget” frigates are set to be delivered by 2028, with the first entering the water by 2023.
Questions were raised over the timing of the announcement during the election campaign. Announcements of a political nature are banned under purdah rules.
Boris Johnson has pledged to “bring shipbuilding home” and the deal will help to make the domestic industry viable. The “e” in the Type 31e’s name stands for “export” because the plan is for the ships to be sold overseas.
The firm said that the ships would be assembled at its Rosyth facility and involve supply chains throughout the country, in line with the UK’s shipbuilding strategy.
It is understood that the decision to sign the contract fell to the ministry’s permanent secretary, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, who in his capacity as the accounting officer made the decision to proceed on cost grounds.
Archie Bethel, chief executive of Babcock, said that the Arrowhead 140 design on which the Type 31es would be based was a “modern warship that will meet the maritime threats of today and tomorrow with British ingenuity and engineering at its core”.