UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

From 2024/25 UK will have 5 inch, as well as 4.5 inch, naval gun fire support available, as the new Royal Navy Type 26 Frigates, armed with a 5inch gun, begin to enter service. This weapon will be pretty much the same as the latest USN 5 inch gun.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

If and when the T26 ever arrives, then we will add it. It is still just scribbles on a napkin at the moment, haven't even decided to cut steel. And who knows what gun the "cheaper" T31 (again just talk ATM) will have - a 76mm?.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

I had heard / read (sorry don't remember where) that they were considering the latest incarnation of the OTO Melara 76mm which is on a number of European ships.

Seems the T26 won't need to be in the game as it has been downgraded and assigned to Anti-Submarine warfare: http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2015/11/the-type-31-frigate/

The above link also shows just how "pie in the sky" all RN future vessels are... unfortunately.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

Type 26 Design is fully completed, steel cutting starts this year.

http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/will...its-price-tag/


Agreed Type 31 is not yet worked out at all.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

That is a two year old article.

Type 26 has not been 'downgraded' to Anti-Submarine warfare, it has always been designed to be the main RN anti submarine warfare Frigate and a vital escort for the QE class carriers. However it will also be able to provide Naval Gun Fire support, like all RN Frigates and Destroyers.

The Type 26 is a large 8,000 ton 492 ft long, major warship.The design is totally complete and, as I said building starts this year.

Please do not confuse the type 26 ASW Frigate, about to start building, at long last, and the Type 31 General Purpose Frigate, still in design competition stage...

The Type 31 Frigate is not a design at all yet here is a link to the latest design for this ship
http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/stel...rigate-design/

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

Gentlemen if you want to keep up with what is actually happening in the Royal Navy I can suggest no better source than Save the Royal Navy, and I spend a fair amount of time working on promoting the the RN in various places...

http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

76mm!! so its not a warship more patrol escort to shoot at pesky pirates, ships are not cheap sticking a pop gun on it seems very odd.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

76mm could be used for NGFS in limited circumstances, it is though right at the bottom end of the capability chart for that mission.

As for the 57mm on the US LCS ships, you won't be seeing that as NGFS.

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

It is very unlikely the type 31 Frigates will have 76mm guns, The three main designs all feature guns of 4.5 inch - 5inch.

The idea is that the Type 31's will be general purpose Frigates (not covettes) of something like 3,500-5,000 tons and closer to 5,000 tons is most likely, ie, a bit larger than, most British escorts in the Falklands Conflict.

They need to be cheaper than the large and capable, espcially in ASW terms, type 26's and, it is hoped, exportable, but they will still be real Frigates with ASW, gun and AA missiles, etc.

PS
While looking at stuff for this I found RN ships fired 8,000 rounds of 4.5 inch in Naval Gunfire Support in the Falkland's and over 200 rounds off Libya recently...

Re: UK Naval Gun Fire Support
 

The RN will end up with 8 type 26 Frigates, 6 type 45 Destroyers and at least 5 type 31 Frigates (although the RN really needs a minimum of at least 8 type 31's).

The current type 23 Frigates will be around until the early 2030's, while the first type 26, building starting this year, should reach the RN in 2024, so the Royal Navy will have a mixed fleet of two or three types of Frigates from about 2025 onwards, including, as I originally said, 5 inch Naval Gunfire Support.

In terms of "hunting pirates with pop guns" that is, more or less, what the RN OPV's are for and the RN will have at least six of those as a result of a make work project for ship builders, due to the Government delay in finally ordering the type 26 ships...

The major Royal Navy job from C.2020 (other than operating UK's nuclear deterrent) is to operate a Carrier Task Force, that is the main thing the type 45 Destroyers and type 23-26 Frigates will do, escorting the QE Class carriers, most likely two Destroyers and three or four Frigates in a high risk setting. The RN also needs to be able to escort the UK Amphibious Force, with the Royal Marines embarked, another major job, when required.

Then there are standing tasks, like patrols/escort missions in the Gulf (and the RN ships, mostly MCM, based out there full time) a Frigate for the NATO standing force Atlantic, guardships in the Falkland's and Caribbean and likely, sooner or later, Gibraltar. Plus the RN Antartic Patrol ship. Some of the guardship tasks can be done by OPV's, but the others need real warships like a type 31 Frigate...

So as of now one RN Frigate just ended a very long South Atlantic Patrol, while a Destroyer is currently visiting Pakistan and another Destroyer will shortly be going to the Black Sea. There is also another Destroyer and the Helicopter Carrier HMS Ocean in the Gulf area. You also need one good ASW Frigate up in Scotland to help escort the nuclear missile armed subs to sea... The RN is always very busy...