The first of the British frigates of project 26 - the Glasgow frigate - was taken out of the boathouse
The frigate "Glasgow" for the British Navy - the first in a series - is taken out of the boathouse and is preparing to be launched.
The design of Project 26 frigates began back in 1998, since the "old men" of Project 23 no longer corresponded to realities and those that were still "not quite shabby" were sold to everyone. In 2008, the construction of two destroyers, Project 45, was canceled in order to free up finance for promising frigates. Initially, they were supposed to be purchased in 13 pieces, like pr. 23, but, as has long been the norm in the UK, the series was greatly curtailed. Only eight Type 26s are already envisaged, the remaining five ships are a much more budgetary project 31.
In the 2010s, when the design of new frigates entered the detailed development phase, the cost of one was estimated at 250 to 350 million pounds, depending on the specialization. It must be understood that now the price has risen significantly, and then, given the current rise in prices for energy and raw materials, and the UK budget deficit of more than 50 billion pounds (as of November 2022), the amounts may become "fabulous", which in the end, it can affect both the total number of ships and the distribution of types in the series. Part of the more expensive ships of the British project 26 can be replaced with cheaper ones, or they can cut the entire series. Most likely it will be both. It is assumed that these ships will be in service until 2060.
It should be noted that the series is pretty late. The entry of Glasgow into service was originally expected in 2023, now, of course, the date will shift to the right by two years. And the construction itself was delayed: the ship has not yet been launched, although it was laid down 4,5 years ago. The negative trend has been flourishing in the United Kingdom for a long time. Steel cutting for the second Cardiff ship was completed in the summer of 2019, for the third ship Belfast in the summer of 2021.
Now a few words about the ships themselves. In fact, more than enough has been written about them on the Internet, but I want to express my opinion. The Sea Septor air defense system with a range of 25 km does not even look funny anymore. At a range of 30 km or more, even UABs work, unless by the time of entry into service the ship is equipped with more long-range missiles. A speed of 26 knots also does not look very impressive, as for a combat unit, especially since the PLO option is supposed.
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