Contest to build new Royal Navy frigates heats up

DEFENCE giant Babcock has thrown its hat in the ring to secure a key contract to build the first batch of the navy's new breed of frigates.

By The Newsroom

Published 9th Jan 2018, 06:00 BST

The firm, which has one of its main HQs at Lakeside, in North Harbour, Portsmouth, has teamed up with other industry experts in a bid to secure the contract to build the first five Type 31e warships.

Revealing its effort yesterday, the company said it will lead the team which includes: Thales, BMT, Harland & Wolff and Ferguson Marine.

All the frigates will be built in the UK and capped at £250m each. They will not be as advanced at the Type 26 frigates, which will feature top-of-the-line technology.

An investment decision on who will build the Type 31e will be revealed by the government at the end of the year.