The foundations of the Type-26 (City) class frigate project are based on the “Future Surface Combatant” (FSC) project initiated in 1998. The main objective of the project is to replace the outdated Type-22 and Type-23 frigates, which are quite old and lag behind the times, with modern warships capable of conducting air defense and anti-submarine warfare.
A total of 8 ships will be built in two groups for the Royal Navy to protect the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and task groups against submarine threats. The main producer of the ship, BAE Systems, sold 9 frigates to Australia under the name “Hunter-class” in 2018 and 15 ships to Canada under the name “Canadian Surface Combatant” in 2019.
Contracts worth $22 billion USD were signed with Australia and $60 billion USD with Canada. The contract values have increased in subsequent years. While the Type-26 frigates for the three navies will share a similar hull and structure, they will be equipped with different weapons, sensors, and technical equipment.
The construction of the first Type-26 frigate for the Royal Navy, HMS Glasgow, began in July 2017, and the ship is expected to be in service by the end of 2026. By 2021, the production of the first three ships of the class had been initiated. Contracts worth £3.7 billion ($4.81 billion USD) were signed between BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence in July 2007 for the first three ships, and contracts worth £4.2 billion were signed for the remaining 5 ships.
The production of the first frigate from the second group of 5 ships began in April 2023. The aim is to have all Type-26 frigates in service with the Royal Navy by 2033. The Type-26 class, along with the Type-31 class, will form the frigate fleet of the Royal Navy after 2030. The primary difference between the Type-26 and Type-31 is that the Type-26 focuses more on anti-submarine warfare. The Type-26 will replace the 8 Type-23 ASW frigates, while the Type-31 will replace the 5 Type-23 general-purpose frigates.
| Type-26 (City) Class Specifications: | |
|---|---|
| Builders | BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships |
| Active | 0 |
| Planned | 32 |
| Building | 4 |
| Length | 149.9 m |
| Beam | 20.8 m |
| Range | 7800 nautical miles |
| Crew | 161 (capacity up to 208) |
| Technical Systems | BAE Type 997 Artisan 3D radar, Kelvin Hughes SharpEye navigation radar, Terma SCANTER 6000 2D X-Band navigation radar, Thales Sonar 2087 towed array sonar system (TASS), Ultra Electronics Type 2150 bow sonar, 3 Sea Eagle FCEO decoys |
| Main Propulsion | CODLOG, combination of diesel-electric and gas turbine, 2 RR MT30 gas turbine engines, 4 MTU 20V4000 M53B high-speed diesel engines |
| Helicopter | 2 helicopter hangars capable of accommodating CH-47 helicopters, 1 helipad for helicopters up to 10 tons |
| Additional Vehicles | 2x RIHB |
| Weapons Systems in the Type-26 (City) Class: | |
|---|---|
| Main Gun | 1 x 127 mm Mk-45 Mod.4 main gun |
| Other Guns | 2 x 30 mm DS30M gun system 2 x M-134 Minigun |
| Air Defence Systems | 2 x 24-cell Sea Captor air defense missile system |
| CIWS | 2 x 20 mm Mk-15 Phalanx CIWS |
| Missiles | 24-cell Mk-41 vertical launch system for Tomahawk, VL-ASROC, CAMM+ER, AGM-158 LSRAM missiles |
| Type-26 (City) Class Ships: | |
|---|---|
| Royal Navy: | |
| 1 | (F-88) HMS Glasgow |
| 2 | (F-89) HMS Cardiff |
| 3 | (F-90) HMS Belfast |
| 4 | (F-9?) HMS Birmingham |
| 5 | (F-9?) HMS Sheffield |
| 6 | (F-9?) HMS Newcastle |
| 7 | (F-9?) HMS Edinburgh |
| 8 | (F-9?) HMS London |
| Royal Australian Navy: | |
| 1 | (FFG-?) HMAS Hunter |
| 2 | (FFG-?) HMAS Flinders |
| 3 | (FFG-?) HMAS Tasman |
| Royal Canadian Navy: | |
| 1 | HMCS ? |
| 2 | HMCS ? |
| 3 | HMCS ? |
