Poland bolsters navy with deal to buy British Type 31 frigates Business

Construction began in September on HMS Venturer, the Royal Navy’s inaugural ship. The five ships Britain has ordered will cost £1.25billion, meaning they will cost around a quarter of the price of the more sophisticated Type 45 destroyer.

The vessels are powered by Rolls Royce diesel engines with a range of up to 9,000 nautical miles.

The remaining ships will be named HMS Active, HMS Formidable, HMS Bulldog and HMS Campbeltown.

Frigates are designed to be multipurpose ships, equipped with underwater mine hunting drones, air defense missiles or disaster relief stores. The ship’s design hides its cargo so enemies won’t know what armaments the ships are carrying.

The purchase by the Royal Navy is seen as a major selling point for other customers and Babcock is still marketing the vessel to other countries. At one point, Brazil and Ireland were reportedly interested, although no orders were placed. Last year, the company signed an agreement to manufacture two for the Indonesian Navy.

Construction of the new Polish ships is set to begin next year, following a planning process to integrate technology from the three winning companies.

PGZ, the Polish defense group overseeing the project, said the purchase will “significantly increase the capabilities of the Polish Navy” and “make a significant contribution of the Republic of Poland within the framework of the North Atlantic Alliance. “.

UK Defense Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said: “Poland is one of our oldest and closest allies, and we continue to strengthen our partnership to help deter future threats.