HMS Formidable is a Type 31 frigate of the Royal Navy and the sixth vessel named after the word formidable.[9] In May 2021, the names of the five planned Type 31 ships were announced by the First Sea Lord. The names were selected to represent key themes that represent the future plans of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines - forward deployment of ships overseas; operating in the North Atlantic; carrier operations; technology and innovation; and the Future Commando Force.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Formidable |
| Namesake | HMS Formidable (67) |
| Builder | Babcock International,[1] Rosyth |
| Commissioned | Projected late 2028.[2] |
| Status | Under construction |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type 31 frigate |
| Displacement | 5,700 t (5,600 long tons) |
| Length | 138.7 m (455 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power | 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 20V 8000 M71 (8.2 MW) diesel engines[3] 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 16V 2000 M41B (900 kW) generators |
| Propulsion | MAN Alpha VBS Mk 5 controllable pitch propeller, two shafts, CODAD[4] |
| Speed | In excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Endurance | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) |
| Complement | c. 110 (accommodation for up to 190)[5] |
| Sensors and processing systems | TACTICOS combat management system, Thales NS110 3D radar, Raytheon Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System, Terma Scanter and Raytheon NSX navigation radars, 2 Mirador Mk2 EOS, Viasat Ultrahigh-frequency satellite communications[6] |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | Vigile-D ESM |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | |
| Aviation facilities | Helicopter hangar and flight deck |
| Notes | Mission bay under flight deck for 6 TEUs. 3 boat bays for RHIBs and USVs/UUVs. |
Formidable, named after the World War II-era aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (67), represents carrier operations. Formidable took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, Operation Torch, attacked the German battleship Tirpitz, and fought against Japan in the Pacific theatre.[10] The plan for the Type 31 project envisages all five units of the class being in service by February 2030.[11]
Construction
editFirst steel cut on the new ship took place in October 2024.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Babcock Team 31 selected as preferred bidder for UK Type 31 frigate programme". babcockinternational. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Steel cut for HMS Formidable – the Royal Navy's third Type 31 frigate". Navy Lookout. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Rolls-Royce Seals Propulsion Systems Contract For Royal Navy's Type 31 Frigates". 29 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "MAN to supply propulsion for Royal Navy frigates". 27 April 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "The development of a lean crewing solution for the Royal Navy's Type 31 frigate". Navy Lookout. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Chuter, Andrew (3 November 2020). "Viasat to supply Britain's future frigate with satellite communications tech". defensenews.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates to be fitted with Mk41 vertical launch system". Navy Lookout. 17 May 2023.
- ^ Childs, Nick (7 October 2019). "UK's naval balancing act: getting the Type-31 frigate right". iiss.org/. IISS. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
as well as up to 24 MBDA Sea Ceptor local-area air-defence missiles
- ^ "Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates have names; HMS Active recalls her predecessor and Falklands liberation". MercoPress. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Royal Navy formally announces the names of the 'inspiration class' Type 31 frigates". Navy Lookout. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Steel cut for HMS Formidable – the Royal Navy's third Type 31 frigate". Navy Lookout. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.