Strike capabilities of the British Navy
Frigate HMS St Albans (F83) of the Type 23 project. Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers are visible in front of the superstructure. Photo by UK Ministry of Defense
The Royal Navy of Great Britain is called upon to solve several main tasks of various kinds. In particular, he is required to fight surface fleet potential enemy and hit enemy ground targets. To carry out attacks of this kind, British ships and submarines of the main types carry and can use missile systems of several models with different levels of tactical and technical characteristics.
Fleet Composition
The fleet of the former “mistress of the seas” is going through hard times. In recent decades, Great Britain has economized excessively on the development of the armed forces in general and the KVMF in particular, which led to understandable results. The number of warships in service gradually decreased, and in addition, their quality indicators fell. However, despite all the limitations and problems, the KVMF was able to maintain a certain strike potential.
Currently, the British fleet has 10 missile-armed submarines on its roster. Of these, six are built according to the Astute and Trafalgar projects and carry tactical cruise missiles. There are also four strategic submarine missile carriers of the Vanguard type in service - formally, they are also designed to destroy ground targets.
The surface forces have less than two dozen ships with guided missile weapons capable of attacking surface and ground targets. The newest and largest in this category are six destroyers of the Type 45 or Daring-class project. There are also 11 Type 23/Duke-class frigates, of which no more than a dozen are operational.
Superstructure and Harpoon launchers of the destroyer HMS Diamond (D34). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Special mention should be made of a pair of new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. They do not have their own strike missile weapons and are equipped only with air defense systems. However aviation a group of these ships in the future should receive strike missile systems.
The KVMF also has several dozen patrol and patrol ships and boats. These pennants are usually equipped only with anti-aircraft missiles and are also armed with small and medium caliber artillery. They are generally capable of attacking ships and coastal targets, but their capabilities in this context are very limited.
Underwater potential
All submarines of the British Navy are equipped with 533-mm torpedo tubes. Thus, modern multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Estute type are equipped with six such devices, the older Trafalgars had five, and the strategic Vanguards have only four. In all cases, the use of Spearfish torpedoes is envisaged, capable of hitting underwater and surface targets at ranges of up to 50-54 km.
Multipurpose submarines of two current projects can also use torpedo tubes to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles. The missiles used are Block IV TLAM modifications with underwater launch, having a flight range of 1700 km. The ammunition load of the Trafalgar-class submarine's torpedo tubes includes up to 30 units. weapons - torpedoes and missiles are stored on common racks. New Astutes carry 38 units. weapons.
The corvette HMS Somerset (F82), which received NSM missiles. Photo: Norwegian Ministry of Defense
Missile carriers of the Vanguard type are also designed to solve strike tasks, although on a different scale. They are equipped with 16 silo launchers for Trident II D5 ballistic missiles provided by the United States. The firing range exceeds 12 thousand km. It is possible to use combat equipment of different configurations with special warheads.
Ship missiles
The basis of the KVMF's surface forces currently consists of Type 45 destroyers and Type 23 frigates. The two projects differ significantly from each other in terms of design and basic performance characteristics. In addition, ships of different types and classes use different weapons. The pennants carry various artillery systems and anti-aircraft missile systems.
With all this, the Darings and the Dukes have unified strike missile weapons. Initially, ships of both projects received Harpoon anti-ship missile systems. Two quad launchers were mounted in front of the superstructure across the hull - for firing over the side. The Harpoon subsonic missile, depending on its modification, can hit surface targets at ranges of at least 120-150 km. The combat characteristics of the product are sufficient to destroy ships of small and medium displacement, as well as to damage larger objects.
The Harpoon anti-ship missile system is not new, and the Russian Navy has recently begun to rearm its ships. The Norwegian NSM rocket was chosen as a replacement. As before, two launchers with four missiles each are used, located in front of the superstructure. The NSM product is a subsonic cruise missile with a flight range of 200-250 km. It differs from the Harpoon with a more advanced guidance system, but carries a less powerful warhead.
Launch of a cruise missile from the submarine HMS Astute. Photo by UK Ministry of Defense
To date, only one Type 23 frigate has received NSM missiles. Soon other ships of this type, planned to remain in service, will receive such weapons. In 2024, the first of the Type 45 destroyers will undergo a similar modernization. The re-equipment project is not complicated, and is expected to be completed over the next few years.
naval aviation
The naval aviation of the Russian Navy currently has only one type of combat aircraft - the American F-35B. To date, the UK has received several dozen such machines and is mastering them. According to existing plans, they should operate from coastal airfields and form aircraft carrier aviation groups. It is planned to continue procurement, due to which a group of aircraft of the desired size will be created.
F-35B fighter-bombers are capable of carrying a variety of aircraft weapons developed by NATO countries, incl. anti-ship missiles and air-to-ground munitions. However, as far as is known, the British fleet is not yet able to use all these capabilities. Naval aircraft are armed only with air-to-air missiles and guided bombs, while there are currently no missiles to destroy ships or ground targets.
The SPEAR 3 cruise missile is currently being developed for British tactical aviation. This will be a guided air-to-surface munition with a flight range of at least 130-140 km. The appearance of such products in the arsenals of the KVVS and KVMF is expected by the end of the decade. It is also possible to develop or purchase other types of ammunition that will allow naval aviation to attack a wider range of targets.
The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth and its aviation group based on F-35B fighters. Photo by UK Ministry of Defense
Weapons of the future
A new generation of pennants are being developed and built for the KVMF. Thus, since 2017, the construction of several frigates of the promising Type 26 project has been underway, and in 2022 the lead frigate Type 31 was laid down. At least eight ships of these two projects will join the fleet by the end of the decade. In addition, completely new warship projects are being developed with an eye to the more distant future.
It is proposed to equip promising ships with the Mk 41 universal vertical launcher, compatible with various ammunition. A missile with the working title Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) is currently being created as a strike weapon for new ships. It will be a cruise missile with high flight characteristics, capable of attacking ships or coastal targets. The ship-to-ground ammunition is planned to be put into service in 2028, and the anti-ship modification will be expected until the mid-thirties.
Nomenclature and capabilities
The surface and submarine forces, as well as the naval aviation of the British Navy, have a certain strike potential. Using standard weapons, they can hit surface and coastal targets over a wide range of ranges. At the same time, the range of ammunition used has some characteristic features.
It is not difficult to notice the unification of weapons and the desire to maintain it in the future. Thus, all KVMF submarines use the same torpedoes, and multi-purpose nuclear submarines carry a common Tomahawk missile. The ships' strike weapons look similar. Currently, destroyers and frigates are armed with Harpoon products, and in the coming years they will all switch to modern NSM anti-ship missiles. The FC/ASW missile is being created for promising ships, and again we are talking about a single weapon for different types of carriers.
With all this, the strike weapons of the KVMF are not new. The Tomahawk modification used by submarine forces appeared in the mid-2000s, and the “new” NSM missile recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of the start of mass production. However, newly developed samples will have to correct the situation with the average age of weapons.
In general, the range of strike weapons of the Royal Navy looks acceptable and corresponds to the assigned tasks. However, it already has limited potential, and in the future it will decline. The fleet command understands this and is trying to take action. A number of new projects are already being developed, which are expected to help maintain the fleet's strike capabilities at the desired level. How successful they will be will become clear only by the end of this decade.
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