Navy will build hybrid warships instead of replacing ageing destroyers
Plans to build a new destroyer to replace aging warships are to be scrapped in favor of at least six new modern “hybrid” ships equipped to deploy drones in the UK’s upcoming defense plan.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the new ships would be better suited to the “pace and nature of modern warfare” and would be a better investment than “a small number of large expensive ships”.
Defense Minister Dan Jarvis said the new equipment “will be designed and manufactured to address the increasing threats we face.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has committed to publishing his long-delayed defense investment plan (DIP) ahead of the NATO summit in Türkiye on July 7, after months of talks on how it would be financed.
The Department of Defense was exploring options to replace the Type 45, the Navy’s aging destroyer fleet, with the Type 83, a concept ship in the early design phase.
Instead, the investment will go towards six new Joint Combat Ships, which the department says will have the capacity to “coordinate airborne, surface and subsea uncrewed systems to deliver more resilient air defence.”
He said the change in approach would increase “the Navy’s reach, endurance and firepower without a commensurate increase in crew or cost.”
The government did not specify how much funding was allocated to DIP for the development of new ships.
The statement stated that these will be part of operations “to counter Russian activities in the North Atlantic and the Upper North, protect critical underwater infrastructure and increase NATO’s deterrence.”
Alongside the support ships, the maritime program will be a “once-in-a-generation investment in new maritime capability” and will provide jobs for British shipyards, the ministry said.
Tense budget negotiations between the Ministry of Defence, the Treasury and departments that have been told cuts to the government’s DIP payments have led to the resignations of defense secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns in recent weeks.
Both said the Treasury was not providing enough extra funding to address capability gaps in the British military or keep up with the pace of change in modern warfare.
Healey said Starmer was “incompetent” and the Treasury was “unwilling” to allocate the resources needed to defend the country “at this time of increasing threats”.
Carns said the draft DIP plan was “neither transformative enough nor adequately funded.”
Earlier this weekend the Ministry of Defense said the DIP had been “refreshed” in the fortnight since Healey’s resignation, while his successor Dan Jarvis said he would “prioritise getting the latest kit into the hands of frontline forces”, including “new lethal strike drones”.
Jarvis has reportedly secured extra funding for the DIP since taking office, but there is no sign Healey will receive the extra £28bn he has previously said he needs.
On Saturday the Ministry of Defense said £500 million would be allocated to equip Britain’s elite Commando Force with new boats and “the latest drone and autonomous technology” as part of the plan.
The government has committed to increasing defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027 and, together with other NATO allies, has set out a target of increasing this rate to 3.5 percent by 2035.
NATO figures show the government is spending 2.3 percent of GDP on defense by 2025; this is slightly below the average for alliance members when U.S. spending is reduced.
In his resignation letter, Healey said the draft DIP when he left office on June 11 meant a planned increase to 2.68% of GDP by 2030.
Sunday Times reported It is stated that Andy Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister next month instead of Sir Keir Starmer, has seen and approved the DIP.
This book is expected to be published before he potentially takes office; This is expected to be published on July 20 unless a challenger for the Labor leadership emerges and triggers a full contest.
