MOD Reveals Future Warship

The design of the Royal Navy’s latest warship has been revealed by the Ministry of Defence.

The announcement on the Type 26 Global Combat Ship has been described by officials as a “significant milestone” in a programme which will support “thousands of UK shipbuilding jobs”.

Basic specification images show sleek stealth features, familiar to modern warships, making them harder to detect.

The ship will be 148 metres long with a displacement of 5,400 tonnes.

The MoD has been working with BAE Systems since 2010 to determine the basic design for the ship. Detailed specifications of the vessel will now be examined.

Vertical missile silos for a range of weapons, such as cruise missiles, will be housed on board along with a medium calibre gun.

The hangar on board will house a Merlin or Wildcat helicopter and there will be extra space for unmanned drones, underwater vehicles or other specialist equipment.

Minister for defence equipment, Peter Luff, said: “The Type 26 will be the backbone of the Royal Navy for decades to come.

“It is designed to be adaptable and easily upgraded, reacting to threats as they change.”

‘Multi-mission warship’

The current plan is to build 13 of the ships, which are due to start coming into service after 2020.

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Article and image courtesy of the BBC, written by Jonathan Beale.