First Sea Lord outlines Royal Navy rebuild and 450,000 tonnes of steel
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has set out the scale of the Royal Navy's rebuilding programme in a speech to the International Sea Power Conference in Norway, with a pipeline of ship and submarine work that will draw heavily on UK shipbuilding and supply chains.
Steel and build programmes
Sir Gwyn described the plans as the most extensive recapitalisation of the Royal Navy since the Second World War. He said the existing programme represents 280,000 tonnes of new steel, rising to around 450,000 tonnes once planned programmes are counted.
The programmes he listed are:
- Thirteen new frigates already in build, including the Type 26s the UK will operate alongside Norway
- Six Common Combat Vessels, designed to command uncrewed systems
- Four Dreadnought submarines to renew the nuclear deterrent
- Completion of the Astute programme and, through AUKUS, preparation for up to a dozen next-generation attack submarines
- Four new amphibious ships
- Four Fleet Solid Support ships
He said the Defence Secretary has made clear the Navy must be ready to fight within 1,000 days, and that everything the service does is now focused on the end of the decade.
Hybrid Navy and autonomous systems
Sir Gwyn said the Hybrid Navy, which combines crewed and uncrewed platforms, has moved from a paper vision to reality over the past 12 months. RFA Lyme Bay was converted into a mothership for autonomous minehunting systems, and the Navy secured a fleet of several dozen Kraken uncrewed surface vessels in just a few months.
The Royal Navy's 1st Autonomous Squadron was commissioned in Portsmouth last week, giving autonomy a permanent operational home in the Fleet. Its first task will be coastal defence, using uncrewed vessels to monitor approaches and protect critical infrastructure.
He also announced that a counter-drone capability will be integrated onto the Kraken scouts in the new year. He described it as a lower-cost, adaptable way to defeat airborne threats, saving the most advanced missiles for threats that require them.
Industry links
A Royal Navy Capability Accelerator Hub has also opened in Portsmouth. Sir Gwyn said it brings operators, capability teams, engineers and industry together to test proven or near-ready technology and get it to the front line quickly.
He added that phase one of Atlantic Bastion, known as Atlantic Net, will become operational within months. Delivered with Ocean Infinity, it is intended to detect hostile underwater activity earlier and strengthen protection of critical infrastructure, with benefits shared with NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force allies.
Source: GOV.UK exports · Image: Pixabay