Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Contains threads on Royal Navy equipment of the past, present and future.

What will be the result of the 'Lighter Frigate' programme?

Programme cancelled, RN down to 14 escorts
52
10%
Programme cancelled & replaced with GP T26
14
3%
A number of heavy OPVs spun as "frigates"
127
25%
An LCS-like modular ship
22
4%
A modernised Type 23
24
5%
A Type 26-lite
71
14%
Less than 5 hulls
22
4%
5 hulls
71
14%
More than 5 hulls
103
20%
 
Total votes: 506

leonard
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by leonard »

The latest rendering of the Type 31/Arrowhead 140 in competition for the Hellenic Navy corvettes program + MLU of the (4 ) Hydra class . To call this Arrowhead 140 with its 5700 tonnes and it's armament a corvette is samething out of a "Evil Plan " of Babcock.
Your thoughts ???
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Jensy
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Jensy »

leonard wrote: 24 May 2022, 16:06 The latest rendering of the Type 31/Arrowhead 140 in competition for the Hellenic Navy corvettes program + MLU of the (4 ) Hydra class . To call this Arrowhead 140 with its 5700 tonnes and it's armament a corvette is samething out of a "Evil Plan " of Babcock.
Your thoughts ???
I count 36x CAMM tubes....

Image
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imperialman
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by imperialman »

The Ministry of Defence has placed a contract with Ultra Electronics for the provision of three Sonar 2170 'Surface Ship Torpedo Defence' systems to be fitted to the Type 31 Frigate fleet.

The contract notice states:

"Ship Acquisition, which is part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) proposes to place a contract with Ultra Electronics Limited for the provision of three Sonar 2170 SSTD Fit-to-Receive (FTR) kits. The SSTD kits are to be integrated onto the Type 31 Frigates.

The equipment to be supplied is Fit-to-Receive kits for the Sonar 2170 SSTD which the MoD owns and utilises across UK MOD Platforms.

Therefore, it is a key requirement that it is interoperable with the existing Sonar 1270 SSTD currently utilised. Ultra Electronics Limited has been identified as the only supplier capable of fulfilling this requirement as they are the sole manufacturer of the FTR kits and are the sole supplier holding specific technical data required for the performance of the contract."


The contract is valued at £600,000.

The rendering below shows Type 31 employing its Sonar 2170 towed-body equipment.
Type 31 Frigate - Flight Deck + Littoral Manoeuvre + S2170.jpg
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Poiuytrewq »

At £200k each why only three?

Is this the first sign of a split weapons load out for the T31?

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Tempest414
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Tempest414 »

or just to cover the first 3 hulls

Poiuytrewq
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Poiuytrewq »

Tempest414 wrote: 25 May 2022, 11:26 or just to cover the first 3 hulls
Perhaps but all other systems up to this point have been procured for all five vessels.

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Scimitar54 »

Maybe a 60% availability rate ? With Modules being installed on the “Available Vessels”. :mrgreen:
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Poiuytrewq »

Scimitar54 wrote: 25 May 2022, 11:47 Maybe a 60% availability rate ? With Modules being installed on the “Available Vessels”
Would it be worth the hassle and expense for £400k?

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Scimitar54 »

I am not advocating it, just trying to give the likely “rationale” being used by the bean counters.
Quite wrong of course ! Would anyone sane person seriously procure 6 x Anchors/Chains for 5 x ships, because only 3 would be at sea at any one time ? :mrgreen:

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

Poiuytrewq wrote: 25 May 2022, 12:09
Scimitar54 wrote: 25 May 2022, 11:47 Maybe a 60% availability rate ? With Modules being installed on the “Available Vessels”
Would it be worth the hassle and expense for £400k?
Or simply it is so cheap and simple contract that, budgeting it years before even the build of the last 2 vessels start is meaningless.

Anyway, its a small amount of money.

For me, what is important here is,
- T31 is REALLY going to have Sea Sentor STDS. Good (even if only 3 of the 5 hulls are budgeted).
- Sea Sentor STDS is GFX provided directly by HMG (like the whole SeaCeptor system and its integration to CMS). Even this small £600k is NOT included in the £1.25B Babcock contract.
- Sea Sentor tow body number is NOT increasing, at least now. To my memory, it was only 12-sets or so, rotating among CV, T45, T23 and even RFA tankers, Forts (how about Bays?)

If number of active ships are going to increase, RN/RFA needs to buy more tow body.

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

Jensy wrote: 24 May 2022, 16:26 I count 36x CAMM tubes....
Image
Interesting arrangement. If T31 is to hold, say, 16-cell Mk41 VLS and CAMM mush rooms, the latter might be limited to 18 units.

Another idea is, in the Hellenic A140 proposal, there might be the 4th boat alcove to starboard existing, and its space be possibly preventing to align 4x2 6-cell modules, and only 3x2 6-cell modules to be located there. In that case, RN T31 omits that alcove and might be able to arrange 4x2 6-cell modules, which means FTR space for 16-cell Mk.41 VLS AND 24-cell CAMM can co-exist.

If this it not the case, T31 might have only 12 (or 18) CAMMs, especially when "FTR space for 16-cell Mk.41 VLS" is kept empty.

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RichardIC
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by RichardIC »



Picture of a paper Build Strategy Model of RN T31 taken at Rosyth showing block build.

Next to a very crude model of Ukrainian FAC

leonard
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by leonard »

Someone has just leaked the design configuration for the Indonesian Navy frigate and if you have thoughts that the Arrowhead A140 for the Polish Navy was heavy armed look at the this.They are calling it the "Super Mutant" design your opinion are welcome????

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by dmereifield »

21 day endurance though, that's the trade off...

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by tomuk »

The forward missile silo is interesting.

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Cooper
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Cooper »

dmereifield wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 21:53 21 day endurance though, that's the trade off...
Not really an issue for Indonesia. They just want these to patrol the multitude of Islands that make up their territory. They won't be venturing much further than that in their lifetime.
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Tempest414
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by Tempest414 »

looks like they have added 5 meters to the length up from 138.7 to 143.7
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by dmereifield »

Cooper wrote: 23 Jun 2022, 07:54
dmereifield wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 21:53 21 day endurance though, that's the trade off...
Not really an issue for Indonesia. They just want these to patrol the multitude of Islands that make up their territory. They won't be venturing much further than that in their lifetime.
Yes, indeed, just highlighting the different requirements than for the UK T31

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

Tempest414 wrote: 23 Jun 2022, 08:27 looks like they have added 5 meters to the length up from 138.7 to 143.7
Yeh. Not sure about how "accurate" the images are, but
- additional hull length between the A and B positions guns, for 48-cell VLSs
- bridge shape has changed
- funnel has been shifted backwards

So, it is a modified version, "sister" of Iver Huitfeldt class, not the same hull. But, its width and main machinary orientations looks very similar.

leonard
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by leonard »

Thanks to the good job of Naval analysis we can have a more detailed view of the Polish Navy Arrowhead 140 PL /Type 31 specific equipment and armaments

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by leonard »

Everyone opinion of this specific Polish Navy equpied frigate is welcome ????

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Quite a big vessel for the Baltic (support from shore never far away)
... but may be ;) it is so affordable that it will be kitted out like the modern-day equivalent of the Flying Fortress?

35(K?) CIWS x 2 is an interesting one; any relationship to the RhM/ Oerlikon of 35 mm?
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RichardIC
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by RichardIC »

It looks, to me at least, like Babcock have refreshed their Arrowhead website.

https://www.arrowhead140.com/

I've certainly not seen the video before that shows some fleeting detail of the Type 31 interior layout.

Image
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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by bobp »

RichardIC wrote: 29 Jul 2022, 12:52 It looks, to me at least, like Babcock have refreshed their Arrowhead website.

https://www.arrowhead140.com/

I've certainly not seen the video before that shows some fleeting detail of the Type 31 interior layout.

Image
Very nice. Especially if they manage them within budget.

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Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

On the GP frigate option page:

https://www.arrowhead140.com/modular-sy ... fic-roles/

Missiles: Infrastructure to support up to 24 x SAM for close range and local area defence.
SSM: Up to 8, customer selected, canister launched weapons


So, it is "up to" 24 CAMM.

3 x sea boats in forward and aft boat bays and design provision for larger specialist craft up to 4 x 9.5 m.

So, four boat bay baseline proposal is technically doable, but abandoned from some reason. May be simply because of cost (internal configuration change was large?)

On "Enhanced GP frigate" options,

Missiles: Infrastructure to support up to 64 x SAM for local and mid area defence and up to 8 x Land Attack Missiles.
SSM: Up to 8, customer selected, canister launched weapons.



In MCM mode

2 x sea boats in aft boat bays and additional mission specific large USVs up to 12 meters in cross deck boat bay.

Amphibious option is also interesting

2 x sea boats in aft boat bays and up to 4 x 9.5 m or 3 x 12m larger specialist craft in cross deck boat bay.

and NOT intended to carry 5 inch gun.

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