Type 26 (City-class)

Guided-Missile Frigate

United Kingdom | 2025

"The sub-hunting, airspace defending Type 26 Guided-Missile Frigate represents the future of the navies of Britain, Australia, and Canada."

Image from official Lockheed Martin marketing materials.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/16/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The future of the modernizing British Royal Navy (RN) includes the multi-mission-minded "Type 26" guided-missile frigate - set to succeed the Type 23 (Duke-class) currently in service (and detailed elsewhere on this site). The Type 26 is being purchased by the British naval service as well as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) with a total of 32 warships of the class planned. The British will take on a stock of eight warships in the series followed by nine earmarked for Australia. The Canadians are set to outdo them all, contracting for a total of fifteen Type 26 vessels. Three are under construction as of this writing (September 2021). The effort is headed by defense powerhouse Bae Systems Maritime - Naval Ships.

The named subclasses of the Type 26 class are City-class (UK), Hunter-class (RAN), and Canadian Surface Combatant (RCN). The program, as a whole, is known under the name of "Global Combat Ship" and marks the first tri-nation commitment by the involved parties since the Tribal-class destroyer group of the pre-World War 2 period.

The Type 26 is similar in role and capabilities to the French-Italian FREMM multi-role vessels (this design detailed elsewhere on this site as well).

As in the Type 23 vessels before it, the Type 26 vessels are intended primarily for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role with built-in solutions for airspace deterrence and land-attack. This makes the group "multi-mission" types by definition, warships that can operate independently or as part of a larger, cohesive surface fighting force (as in the "Task Force"). Origins of the program date back to 1998 under what was then designated the "Future Surface Combatant" (FSC) which, rather inevitably, evolved to become the Global Combat Ship initiative of today.

During the early part of the 2010s, the program gained steam and BAe was awarded the contract to manufacture the ships at its Glasgow shipyard. Initial, tangible work then followed in July of 2017 when HMS Glasgow began formal construction. In mid-2018, the Australians added their commitment to the series as it sought a successor for its aging ANZAC-class frigates under the Hunter-class name for its Type 26 vessels. Canada followed suit in February of 2019, committing to their aforementioned lot by way of Lockheed Martin Canada / Irving Shipbuilding (Halifax).

The class currently (2021) encompasses two planned production batches known simply as "Batch 1" and "Batch 2". The Royal Navy of Britain will feature both groups concurrently with named ships being HMS Glasgow (F88), HMS Cardiff (F89), and HMS Belfast (F90) making up Batch 1. Batch 2 will consist of HMS Birmingham, HMS Sheffield, HMS Newcastle, HMS Edinburgh, and HMS London. Currently named ships of the RAN are HMAS Hunter, HMAS Flinders, and HMAS Tasman. RCN ships are yet to be named (2021).

As it drawn up, the Type 26 design will displace in the 7,600 ton (short) range and feature a length of 491.9 feet and a beam of 68.2 feet. Power will be a conventional CODLOG (COmbined Diesel-eLectric-Or-Gas) arrangement seeing 4 x MTU Type 20V 4000 M53B series diesel generators mated to 1 x Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine backed by 2 x Electric motors. This will give the ships a maximum speed of 26 knots with range out to about 7,000-7,500 nautical miles. The crew complement is set to number 157 with expansion capable to 208 personnel. Onboard systems slated to make up the powerful processing untis aboard the warship are the Type 997 "Artisan" 3D radar suite, the Kelvin Hughes "SharpEye" navigation set, the Terma SCANTER 6000 series 2D X-band navigation set, and the SCOT-5 SATCOM unit. Sonar will be fulfilled by the Ultra Electronics Type 2150 in the bow and the Sonar 2087 towed array. The IRVIN-GQ DLF system will fulfill the Electronic Warfare (EW) requirement board the ship.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

The Australian Hunter-class will sport the AEGIS combat system and other Australian-required electronics and processing units (Thales sonar and Nulka decoy launchers to name a few). These ships will also increase the VLS count to 32-cells and focus on MU90 series impact torpedoes and support Sikorsky MH-60R "Seahawk" helicopters for the ASW requirement.

The Canadian CSC ships will also have AEGIS and solutions provided by MDA (AESA target illumination) and Ultra Electronics (torpedo countermeasures, sonar). 2 x 4-cell Naval Strike Missile launchers will also be carried as well as 2 x 324mm twin-tubed torpedo launchers and a Leonardo 127mm (5") turreted deck gun. Instead of the Lynx or Seahawk helicopters, provision will be had for the local CH-148 "Cyclone" type helicopter.

As with other modern guided-missile vessels in service today, the Type 26 will feature a broad mix of ballistic and missile weaponry. This includes 2 x 24-cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) for Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) as well as support for land-attack / anti-ship cruise missiles. Ballistic-oriented weapons will include the 5" /62 caliber Mk 45 turreted gun on the forecastle, 2 x 30mm DS30M Mk.2 series automatic cannons, 2 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs), 2 x Miniguns, and up to 4 x 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs).

Beyond this, the offensive arm of the ship will be bolstered through the carrying of one or two Westland "Lynx Wildcat" helicopters equipped for the ASW role through torpedoes, depth charges, and sonar as well as anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. Various medium-lift helicopters will be supported through a combination hangar-helipad deck area at the stern of the ship and support for UAVs is also planned.

From artist renderings, the Type 26 will arrive sporting all the necessary stealth characteristics expected of a modern warship including a low-profile hull superstructure and smoke funnels, integrated/unbroken hull line, and enclosed main mast.

Official service of the class is set to begin in or around 2025.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for Type 26 (City-class).

CODLAG (COmbined Diesel-eLectric-And-Gas): 4 x MTU Type 20V4000 M53B diesel generators with 1 x Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine and 2 x Electric motors.
Propulsion

26.0 kts
29.9 mph
Surface Speed

7,000 nm
8,055 miles | 12,963 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of Type 26 (City-class).

157
Personnel
Complement

491.9 ft
149.93 meters
O/A Length

68.2 ft
20.79 meters
Beam

7,600
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of Type 26 (City-class).

CITY-CLASS:
1 x 5" /62 caliber Mk 45 turreted deck gun.
2 x 24-cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) supporting "Sea Ceptor" Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs); future support for land-attack and anti-ship missile types.
2 x 30mm DS30M Mk.2 automatic cannons.
2 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs).
2 x 7.62mm miniguns.
4 x 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs).

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of Type 26 (City-class).

1 OR 2 x Medium-lift helicopters supported through the stern-based hangar-helipad section; aircraft outfitted for ASW role through torpedoes, depth charges, and missiles.

Ships-in-Class (32)
Notable series variants as part of the Type 26 (City-class) family line as relating to the Type 26 (City-/Hunter-/CSC-class) group.

BRITAIN: HMS Glasgow (F88); HMS Cardiff (F89); HMS Belfast (F90); HMS Birmingham (); HMS Sheffield (); HMS Newcastle (); HMS Newcastle (); HMS Edinburgh (); HMS London () AUSTRALIA: HMAS Hunter; HMAS Flinders; HMAS Tasman CANADA: TBD.

Operators
Global operator(s) of the Type 26 (City-class). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

Shipbuilder(s): BAe Systems Maritime - Naval Ships - UK

[ Australia (Hunter-class); Canada (Canadian Surface Combatant); United Kingdom (City-class) ]

1 / 1

Image from official Lockheed Martin marketing materials.

Going Further...
Type 26 (City-class) Guided-Missile Frigate appears in the following collections:

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)