The Type 31 frigate , also known as the Inspiration class , and formerly known as the Type 31e frigate or General Purpose Frigate GPF , is a class of five frigates being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy , with variants also being built for the Indonesian and Polish navies. The Type 31 is intended to enter service in the s alongside the eight submarine-hunting Type 26 frigate and will replace the five general-purpose Type 23 frigates. There was to be little difference between the two variants, except for the Sonar Initial expectations were that construction would start in and the ships would gradually replace the Type 23 frigates by the mids.
The Defence Review decided that only the eight anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates would be ordered and five general purpose frigates to an altogether different design would be ordered to give at least 13 frigates in RN service. It is still a complex warship, and it is still able to protect and defend and to exert influence around the world, but it is deliberately shaped with lessons from wider industry and off-the-shelf technology to make it A September graphic released by the Royal Navy stressed modular adaptability and flexible construction of the design for export opportunities.
Core requirements of the Type 31e frigate included a medium calibre gun, point defence systems, hangar and a flight deck for Wildcat or ten tonne helicopter operated by a crew of around with space for 40 more personnel.
In October , the Financial Times stated that. It quoted Francis Tusa, a defence analyst, who argued that the competition appeared to be designed to break BAE's hold on naval shipbuilding;. Were they to have bid as BAE Systems, they wouldn't win.
That is absolutely obvious. The fact is that the Type 31 is slanted probably to exclude any bid that includes BAE. However, this was denied by the MoD, which stated that the competition was designed to improve speed of delivery and reduce cost. Type 31, the pathfinder project of the strategy, got to contract on schedule and for the headline price demanded, with the capability exceeding many expectations. Throughout , several designs from different companies were suggested as contenders for the Type In October , BAE Systems announced that it would withdraw from the Type 31e competition as a main contractor, citing the capacity constraints of its shipyards on the Clyde, which were full with the work on the new River-class patrol vessels and Type 26 frigates.
