Originally Posted by
SLXOwft
Frostchamber, I was thinking the same - the BAES T26 for
Sjøforsvaret model shown at the Undersea Defence Technology 2025 Conference in Oslo this year, mounted 16 NSM launchers (4x quadruple).
Although with the heavierweight, supersonic, highly manouverable MBDA RJ10 being slated for an ISD of 2028 - a tad optimisitic methinks - with that and its the subsonic land attack, TP15, version having an ISD of 2030 acquiring three ASuW missiles for UK T26 might be gilding the lily. It might make sense to migrate the exiting NSM sets from T23 to T31 and if it materializes T32.
IF those ISDs hold good then fine - but as you say, they sound a tad optimistic. In which case the most likely scenario, on past UK form, is that the ships simply spend the first 3 - 4 years of their lives sailing round with nothing in the tubes. ISTR that Sampson and Sea Viper were not fully operable on T45 for at least a couple of years from 2010 (but as ever, happy to stand corrected).