Zitat:Sea vessels

HMS Glasgow: First Look At Type 26's Complete Scale

The rear block of HMS Glasgow has been manoeuvred out of the outfit hall, to allow workers at the shipyard to finally bring both ends of the ship together.

This is the first time the full size and scale of the new Type 26 frigate has been seen in the open. The forward section of the warship emerged from a build shed in April and contains HMS Glasgow's bridge, operations room and accommodation spaces.

The rear block contains the versatile mission bay and hangar which is capable of supporting helicopters, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores, while the flight deck is capable of landing a Chinook helicopter for transport of embarked forces. [...] Replacing the dedicated submarine-hunting Type 23s, the new warships will weigh 6,900 tonnes and will be equipped with a Sea Ceptor anti-air defence missile system and a flight deck.

A total of eight ships will be built as part of the Type 26 programme and will be delivered to the Royal Navy from the mid-2020s, the first three being built by BAE Systems as part of a £3.7bn contract. HMS Cardiff is still being developed at the shipyard and work on HMS Belfast is set to begin at the shipyard later this year.

Zitat:US confirms SM-6 and SM-2 missiles for Hunter class

The US State Department has approved the provision of defence services to Australia related to the future purchase of Raytheon's SM-6 Block I and SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for the Hunter class frigates. Raytheon’s SM-2 Block IIICs will replace RAN's current stock of Block IIIB missiles. The SM-6 Block I is a longer-range air defence weapon that can also be used as an anti-ship weapon and may in the future provide a ballistic missile defence capability, which would require a Baseline 9 configuration for the Aegis combat system on board the Hunter class.

The services include development; engineering, integration, and testing (EI&T); obsolescence engineering activities required to ensure readiness; US Government and contractor engineering/technical assistance, and related studies and analysis support; technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of program and logistical support.

The total estimated value is US $350 million (A$ 481 million).

Zitat:Launch of the first steel unit for the Australian Hunter class frigate program

According to a press release published by BAE Systems on October 13, 2021, more than 28 tonnes of Australian steel has been rolled off the production line at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide with the completion of structural manufacture of the first steel prototype unit for the Hunter Class Frigate Program, the largest surface shipbuilding project in the Australian nation’s defence history. [...] The prototype unit is one of four in the first representative ship block and is the first to have been blasted and painted, cut and constructed in the new Shipyard. This particular unit and block are located in the middle of the ship and would contain the Officer’s Accommodation. [...]

The Hunter-class frigate is a future class of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to replace the Anzac class. Construction is expected to begin in 2022, with the first of nine vessels to enter service in 2031.

The Hunter-class frigate will be an Australian variation of the Type 26 class frigate that is to be operated by the Royal Navy from the mid-2020s. The class will have a 8,800-tonne (8,700-long-ton) full load displacement and will be approximately 150 metres (492 ft 2 in) in length. The vessel will be capable of sailing in excess of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) and will have a full complement of 180 crew.

Zitat:New pictures released of future Type 26 frigate HMS Glasgow

According to a tweet published by Aiden McGregor on November 14, 2021, new pictures were released of the future Type 26 frigate HMS Glasgow being built by BAE Systems at Govan shipyards. [...] The Type 26 frigate or City-class frigate is a class of frigate being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, with variants also being built for the Australian and Canadian navies. The programme, known as the Global Combat Ship, was launched by the UK Ministry of Defence to partially replace the navy's thirteen Type 23 frigates, and for export. [...]

Zitat:Review establishes new baseline design for Australia's Hunter-class future frigates

A year-long Systems Definition Review (SDR) has established a new baseline design for Australia's nine future Hunter-class frigates, shipbuilder BAE Systems Maritime Australia said on 10 February. The company said the review – conducted by BAE Systems' engineering teams in Australia and the UK – defined how the Australian combat system integrates into the reference design provided by the UK Type 26 Global Combat Ship for the AUD44.1 billion (USD32 billion) Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hunter-class frigate programme. [...]

He [Craig Lockhart, managing director of BAE Systems Maritime Australia] added that the milestone demonstrated the company's ability to “Australianise” the reference ship design for the Hunter programme.

Zitat: First among these is a growth in the size of the vessel from around 8,000 tonnes to over 10,000 tonnes. The laws of physics mean that if you increase the size of the vessel by 25% without increasing the power plant, performance will suffer. The exit report puts some detail around that, stating that ‘maximum speed will be lower than comparable RAN surface combatants’ and the vessel will face ‘increased fuel consumption and running costs’.

Lack of power also has a direct impact on warfighting capability, with the commander needing to ‘prioritise power allocation to either the CEAFAR2 radar or the propulsion system depending on the ship’s operational requirements’.

Zitat:The delays in the Hunter program mean that the start of construction has slid from 2020 to 2022 and now to 2024, with the exit review warning of further possible delays.

Zitat:UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 fleet to feature Selective Catalytic Reactors

The catalytic reactors will minimise the impact of the Navy’s operations on the environment. [...]

The British Royal Navy’s eight future City-class Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates are set to be equipped with Selective Catalytic Reactors. [...] BAE Systems is under contract to deliver the first three frigates of the Type 26 fleet including, HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff, and HMS Belfast.

A 3m-tall box fitted with large-scale filters, the Selective Catalytic Reactor will reduce the impact of the navy’s operations on the environment. The converters reduce majority of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by spraying a urea solution on the exhaust fumes released from the diesel generator.

Zitat:Australian Companies To Supply First Batch Of Hunter Class Frigates [...]

BAE Systems Australia has contracted Score Australasia to supply and test valves for the first three anti-submarine warfare frigates, which will play a crucial role protecting Australians and Australia’s interests for decades to come.

Working with the global independent valve company and the Commonwealth, the Company has secured a commitment from Score that a significant amount of value ($26m) and contracts will flow through the Australian supply chain. [...] Twelve companies from five States will be subcontracted by Score to part manufacture, supply and assemble more than 300 different types of wholeship valves.

Zitat:Type 26 Frigate project update, first in water this year

BAE Systems has confirmed that HMS Glasgow, the Royal Navy’s first Type 26 frigate, is set to enter the water for the first time this year. BAE Systems said in its half-year results:

"The Type 26 programme continues to progress with construction underway on the first three City Class Type 26 frigates. Preparations continue for the first of class, Glasgow, to depart our Govan shipyard and enter the water later this year. [...] Half of the major units of the second ship in class, Cardiff, are erected, while the third ship, Belfast, continues to progress after entering manufacture in June 2021". [...]

BAE Systems has revealed more details regarding their huge new shipbuilding facility in Glasgow...

Zitat:BAE Systems Gets Contract To Build 2nd Batch Of 5 Type 26 Frigates

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a £4.2bn contract to BAE Systems to manufacture the next five City Class Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy in Glasgow. [...] Three Type 26 ships are already in build in Glasgow, with the first of class, HMS Glasgow, on track to enter the water later this year and be delivered to the Royal Navy in the mid-2020s. The construction of HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast is also underway.

Zitat:BAE Systems Starts Floating Off First Type 26 Frigate

The first Type 26 City Class frigate, HMS GLASGOW, has begun the float off process, which will see her enter the water for the first time. [...] Over the coming days, the ship, currently weighing nearly 6,000 tonnes, will undertake a series of complex manoeuvres that will move her from BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard, onto a barge before being towed down river to a deep-water location in the West of Scotland.

Once in position, the float off will involve the base of the barge being slowly submerged over a number of hours until HMS GLASGOW fully enters the water. She will then return to BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard further along the Clyde, where she will undergo the next stages of outfit before test and commissioning.

Zitat:What are the black sections on the Type 26 Frigate hull?

The Type 26 Frigate is an advanced submarine-hunting vessel, and by virtue of that fact, the class needs to have a low acoustic signature.

The black sections of the hull, shown in the image above, are part of an effort to reduce the noise generated by the vessel, making her harder to detect by enemy submarines. [...]

This innovation on Type 26 helps to protect the vessel and its crew from the dangers of errant underwater noise. Submarine hunters are often forced to operate in close proximity to other vessels, both friendly and hostile, and the sound of their engines, sonar, and other machinery can be detected by sensitive underwater microphones. This can put the frigate at risk of being detected and targeted by enemy forces. To mitigate this risk, submarines and now Type 26 Frigates are equipped with an acoustic shielding system, typically known as anechoic tiling. This shielding takes the form of a thick layer of sound-absorbing material, such as rubber or other special composites, that is applied to the hull. The material is designed to absorb and dissipate the sound waves generated by the submarine’s machinery, making it much harder for enemy sensors to detect the vessel. [...]

These tiles are typically made of a porous, sponge-like material, such as rubber or foam, that is coated with a layer of metal or other reflective material. When sound waves hit the surface of an anechoic tile, they are absorbed by the porous material, preventing them from reflecting back into the environment.