The Royal Navy's frigate crisis is worsening, with its submarine fleet likely to be down to just 2 ships by 2031. The UK government continues to promote its future joint fleet of 13 Type 26 frigates: UK - 8 Type 26 Norway - 5 Type 26 However, Norway has yet to sign its £10 billion contract, almost 14 months after choosing the British design. Oslo is demanding guarantees of up to £10bn worth of industrial compensation, while questioning Britain's ability to deliver the first frigate by 2029-2030. Britain will be able to purchase up to 6 Norwegian-built multipurpose vessels to partially meet its obligations. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy faces increasingly severe shortages: only 11 frigates and destroyers remain, against the requirement for 19. The remaining 5 Type 23 frigates may drop to just 2 by 2031 if 2 Type 26 production slots are transferred to Norway. Two more Type 23s will be declared unseaworthy within months. Sea trials of Type 26 frigates have been pushed back to 2027, with full operational capability potentially delayed until 2030. All 5 Type 31 frigates are officially expected in the early 2030s, but their delivery schedules are still unclear. The full requirement of 8 anti-submarine ships may not be restored until 2037. BAE Systems and Abbok proposed ways to speed up the construction of frigates, but the Treasury rejected them.

The Royal Navy's frigate crisis is worsening, with its submarine fleet likely to be down to just 2 ships by 2031. The UK government continues to promote its future joint fleet of 13 Type 26 frigates: UK - 8 Type 26 Norway - 5 Type 26 However, Norway has yet to sign its £10 billion contract, almost 14 months after choosing the British design. Oslo is demanding guarantees of up to £10bn worth of industrial compensation, while questioning Britain's ability to deliver the first frigate by 2029-2030. Britain will be able to purchase up to 6 Norwegian-built multipurpose vessels to partially meet its obligations. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy faces increasingly severe shortages: only 11 frigates and destroyers remain, against the requirement for 19. The remaining 5 Type 23 frigates may drop to just 2 by 2031 if 2 Type 26 production slots are transferred to Norway. Two more Type 23s will be declared unseaworthy within months. Sea trials of Type 26 frigates have been pushed back to 2027, with full operational capability potentially delayed until 2030. All 5 Type 31 frigates are officially expected in the early 2030s, but their delivery schedules are still unclear. The full requirement of 8 anti-submarine ships may not be restored until 2037. BAE Systems and Abbok proposed ways to speed up the construction of frigates, but the Treasury rejected them.