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On Wednesday, British defense shipbuilder Babcock told its investors that it would be taking a steep charge due to rework on the first two hulls in the Type 31 frigate class. The Type 31 is a much-needed replacement for the Royal Navy's aging Type 23, and Babcock said that the extra effort is interfering with productivity.
In a regulatory filing, Babcock said that it is experiencing higher than planned amounts of rework, and at a later stage of construction completion - when such work is more costly and complex to carry out. The excess rework is design-related, the company said, and affects only the first two hulls in the series. Vessels three and four are still in the early stages of construction, and are not affected by late-breaking design modifications.
Babcock said that the rework is impeding its efforts to raise yard productivity on the program - and since the contract contains fixed-price elements, the added costs from the extra work will affect its bottom line. The firm says that it will cost about $190 million over time, including extra labor, materials, and provisions for additional program risk. An engineering maturity review is under way.
The affected ships, HMS Venturer and HMS Active, have already been launched and are undergoing outfitting. The UK's national shipbuilding strategy of 2017 envisioned a 2023 in-service date for the first hull; this was later pushed to 2027. Timely delivery is essential, as the service's previous Type 23 frigates are in deteriorating condition and are rapidly aging out of service - just when their capability is needed most to deter an increasingly active Russian Navy.
The design change Babcock cited on Wednesday may relate to the confirmed selection of the Mk41 VLS cell system, the ubiquitous American design for launch of air defense interceptors and cruise missiles, according to British defense media. Several VLS options were proposed earlier in development, but in 2023, then-First Sea Lord Ben Key confirmed that a 32-cell Mk41 package would be aboard the Type 31.
The Mk41 units may be a "fitted-for-but-not-with" capability at the time of delivery of the first hulls, earlier reporting indicates. The ships are built to carry the cell modules, but the modules themselves might be installed during future maintenance availabilities, the service told Naval Technology in 2024 - thereby prioritizing the vessel delivery timeline.
Fuente: Maritime Executive
