RN Frigates: Type 31 Inspiration Class

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Anschuetz UK completed Factory Acceptance Testing of the first Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System (WINBS) for the Type 31 frigates at their Portsdown Technology Park facility at the end of 2023.
The equipment will be delivered for integration on HMS Venturer shortly.
(Library photo)

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Rosyth frigate project sustaining 1,250 jobs

The construction of the Royal Navy’s Type 31 fleet will sustain approximately 1,250 skilled jobs at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard and create 150 new apprenticeships.
The information came to light in the following response to a Parliamentary Written Question.

James Cartlidge, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, stated: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/rosyth- ... 1250-jobs/

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Navy Lookout
Design licenses for Arrowhead-140/ Type 31 have now been sold to 5 navies, together with contacts to provide support for 2 construction projects.
For ships not built in the UK there are still export wins for UK manufacturing including MBDA Group Sea Ceptor, Rolls Royce machinery and Thales UK combat systems.
Latest photo showing work progressing on HMS Venturer RN showing hull and most of the superstructure complete.

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Weight expectations: new frigate HMS Venturer takes to hi-tech ‘scales’

You can’t put that on a weighing scales.
No, but it’s still possible to precisely weigh one of the Royal Navy’s next-generation frigates to ensure weight estimates during design are validated.

HMS Venturer is the first of five Inspiration-class frigates and just shy of two years since she was laid down the warship reached a milestone in her construction.
Here comes the science bit: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... HSEo0c0dXU

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Type 31 frigates could get Mk 41 during future capability insertion periods

Manufacturer Babcock was adamant that it is important that nothing should “disrupt” the timeline of the Type 31 deliveries to the Royal Navy

The integration the Mk 41 vertical launch systems (VLS) into the UK’s upcoming Type 31 frigates could come in the form of capability insertion periods carried out after the vessel has been delivered to the Royal Navy, rather than during the build process.

The decision in May 2023 that the UK’s Type 31 frigates, originally envisaged as light patrol platforms, were to be fitted with the Lockheed Martin Mk 41 VLS system offered the prospect of a significant capability increase through a wider range of anti-ship and anti-air missiles.

At the time of the announcement by UK First Sea Lord Admiral Ben Key, construction was already well underway on the first-in-class HMS Venturer, with the overall design finalised.

Speaking with Naval Technology at the time, a Royal Navy spokesperson said that the service had initiated an assessment phase with the US Navy and industry to “explore options and costs associated” with fitting the Mk 41 into the Type 31 frigates.

Continues at - https://www.naval-technology.com/news/t ... &cf-closed - LFT

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Essex joins the HMS Venturer family – County is affiliated with new frigate

For the first time in 30 years the people of Essex have a ship they can call their own as the Royal Navy’s new frigate HMS Venturer is bound with the county.
Civic leaders have agreed to be affiliated with the Type 31 frigate – currently under construction in Scotland – linking the warship with more than 1.8m people in East Anglia from Chigwell to Colchester, Braintree to Basildon.

All warships enjoy affiliations with towns, cities or boroughs. Occasionally, that extends to entire counties such as current frigates HMS Kent and Sutherland, each linked with the county of the same name.

Continues at - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... ew-frigate

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Navy Lookout
Thales UK has completed Factory Acceptance Trials (FAT) of 3 systems for the first Type 31 frigate.
The Integrated Communication System (ICS)
The Combat System (CS) built around the TACTICOS Combat Management System (CMS)
The Integrated Bridge and Navigation Systems (IBNS)

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Navy Lookout
The bow section recently added to the hull of HMS Venturer RN under construction at Babcock plc in Rosyth.

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Babcock to create 1,000 new jobs at Rosyth

Over a thousand new jobs are being created at Babcock’s advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding facility in Rosyth to support the company in delivering programmes and to develop its workforce capabilities.

See - https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/n ... -at-rosyth

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Navy Lookout
Drop stern procedure for HMS Venturer RN under construction in Rosyth Babcock plc
All supports from the aft end of the ship removed and ballast weights allows the stern to settle at its design position.
This enables initial line of sight to be taken for shaft bearings, stern seal and propeller shaft alignment.