UK Scraps Destroyer Replacement, Procures Common Combat Vessels to Coordinate Uncrewed Systems

Britain will scrap plans to replace its aging destroyers and instead procure at least six “Common Combat Vessels” to serve as control hubs for uncrewed systems, the Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.

“LONDON: Britain will scrap plans to replace its aging destroyers and will instead procure at least six “Common Combat Vessels” to serve as control hubs for uncrewed systems, the Ministry of Defense said on Sunday”

Arab News PK

The Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers are due to be retired by the end of 2038, and the MoD said the new ships will replace the next-generation Type 83 class concept.

Arab News PK

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said the “Common Combat Vessels will provide our dedicated sailors with hybrid ships that are designed and built for the increasing threats we face.”

The MoD said the CCVs would coordinate uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea, with delivery expected from the early 2030s and the vessels working alongside crewed frigates and other planned autonomous vessels.

The shift is tied to the long-delayed Defense Investment Plan (DIP), which the BBC said Starmer committed to publishing before the Nato summit in Turkey on 7 July after months of talks over how to fund it.

The MoD had been exploring options to replace the Type 45 destroyers with the Type 83 concept vessel, but the BBC said investment would instead go towards six new Common Combat Vessels capable of coordinating “uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea.”

BBC

The BBC reported that fraught budget negotiations between the MoD and Treasury led to the resignations of John Healey as defence secretary and Al Carns as armed forces minister, with Healey saying the Treasury had not committed enough extra funding.

In his resignation letter, Healey said the draft DIP at the time he left office on 11 June amounted to a planned rise to 2.68% of GDP by 2030, while the government also committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

Alongside the naval changes, the BBC said the MoD allocated £500m to equip the UK's elite Commando Force with new boats and the “latest drone and autonomous technology” as part of the plan.

“Arabic version:البحرية البريطانية تحول تركيزها إلى السفن المزودة بالطائرات بدون طيار بدلاً من استبدال المدمرات The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a strategic shift in its naval capabilities, opting to build at least six new hybrid vessels equipped for drone deployment instead of replacing its ageing destroyer fleet”

Oz Arab Media

The i Paper said the refreshed DIP would drop plans to revamp up to eight ageing Type 83 destroyers and five Type 32 frigates to direct more money towards uncrewed systems, long-range missiles, electronic warfare and AI-enabled systems.

The i Paper also described the DIP as expected to be published before 7 July in advance of the Nato summit, and it said Dan Jarvis had “shifted” the focus of spending towards providing kit to troops on the front line.

The BBC said the naval programme would be “a once in a generation investment in new maritime capability,” and it framed the operations as countering Russian activity in the North Atlantic and High North, protecting critical underwater infrastructure, and enhancing Nato deterrence.