Steel-cutting ceremony for new Royal Navy frigate

The Royal Navy has the means to keep Russian submarines “at bay”, a Government minister has insisted, as work gets underway on the UK’s latest state-of-the-art frigate. Alex Chalk warned Britain is sending a “clear message” to Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he watched the first steel cutting for the Royal Navy’s latest anti-submarine vessel, HMS Birmingham, in Glasgow.

Mr Chalk warned Putin that Britain has the “capability to match” him.

He told Express.co.uk: “The reason why this is such an exciting moment is that we in the UK but also Canada, also Australia recognise that this is probably the best anti-submarine ship anywhere in the world.

“We want to ensure that we send a message to Russia if it wants to continue to act as it has done on land.

“If [Russia] wants to try to progress that on the sea then we have more than the capability to match that. That means, frankly keeping them at bay detecting submarines as they enter an area of interest and we will be doing so with some of the most effective equipment anywhere in the world.

“So this is absolutely about sending a message, complying with international rules-based order, respect the rule of law and respect human rights, respect international boundaries, and we have the equipment to ensure that you do just that.”

In a speech to mark the occasion at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Govan, Mr Chalk said: “This is yet another significant milestone for the Type 26 programme, supporting thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the wider UK supply chain.

“Working closely with our industry partners, we are bringing in a cutting-edge class of warships for the Royal Navy, bolstering our maritime capabilities into the coming decades.”

HMS Birmingham is the fourth of eight planned anti-submarine warships due to enter service with the Royal Navy.

The Type 26 program seeks to replace the retiring Type 23 fleet with a more advanced class of warships focused mainly on anti-submarine warfare to defend the UK’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent and Maritime Strike Group.

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The Type 26 ships will also be able to combat piracy as well as transport humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

These ships will be outfitted with the Sea Ceptor missile protection system, a five-inch medium calibre gun, and navigation and tracking equipment such as a helicopter, Artisan 997 radar, and sonar.

HMS Birmingham is to be followed by HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff, and HMS Belfast, each of which is nearly 150 metres long and has a maximum speed of more than 26 knots, and a range of more than 7,000 nautical miles.

BAE Systems, Naval Ships Managing Director, Sir Simon Lister told Express.co.uk the primary focus in designing these ships is to engage in anti-submarine warfare, specifically against Russian submarines.

Sir Simon said: “The primary focus in designing these ships is to engage in anti-submarine warfare, specifically against Russian submarines.

“To achieve this goal, they are equipped with highly sensitive sonars and are designed to operate quietly.

“This allows them to detect enemy submarines over long distances.

“As warfare technology continues to evolve, each new generation of anti-submarine frigate ships must strive to be even quieter, more powerful, and possess greater digital and computer capabilities to maintain an advantage in this form of warfare.”

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