Britain’s Royal Navy revealed the design of the Type 26 today:
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.
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The current plan is to build 13 of the ships, which are due to start coming into service after 2020.
The Type 26 will replace the 13 Type 23 frigates but the MoD is not giving a precise commitment on numbers until they know the unit cost.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, says the ship will be used “across the full spectrum of warfare”.
He added: “The T26 GCS will be a multi-mission warship designed for joint and multinational operations… including complex combat operations, maritime security operations such as counter piracy, as well as humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world.”
