Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers will not have life extended as new hybrid replacements 'should be better'

Advanced replacements for the current crop of Royal Navy destroyers will be prioritised over keeping older ships at sea.

Air Marshal Time Jones, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, said there are currently no plans to extend the life of the six Type 45 warships. The Daring-class vessels have a retirement date of 2035, and attention has turned to replacing them with more advanced capabilities.

Given the Royal Navy’s shrinking fleet - currently numbering five frigates and 11 destroyers - the pressure to build new vessels in time for the decommissioning of the older ships is mounting. The Defence Investment Plan (Dip) set out £1.5bn of investment into the hybrid navy, where conventional warships will be supplemented by autonomous vessels and drones.

Common Combat Vessels (CCVs) are due to supersede the Daring-class ships, but no precise timeline has been given for when they’ll be ready - currently in the concept phase. Most of the new technology has been given a broad in-service date of the 2030s.

Speaking during a defence select committee meeting, Conservative MP Jesse Norman asked if there were any plans to keep the Type 45s in service for longer than expected. AM Jones said: “We don’t want to.

“Rather than extending older platforms that cost a lot of money to run, we would rather spend that money focusing on the new technology. That’s what the First Sea Lord wants to do and that’s what we aim to do.”

The current crop of destroyers are currently receiving upgrades under the Power Improvement Project, aimed at addressing long-standing propulsion issues. These ships are an essential part of the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG), protecting vessels and personnel from missiles and other airborne threats.

Mr Norman asked AM Jones how much money would be saved from embracing new capabilities. “It’s undoubtedly more cost effective, but that isn’t why the First Sea Lord is doing it,” AM Jones said.

“The Dip sets out our initial investment. There will be more money to follow after that initial spending period. We have £1.5bn in this parliament set aside for the hybrid navy to initiate those projects.”

The government is hoping not to run into the same problems hitting the frigate force. Aging Type 23 vessels are reaching the end of their lifespan, while the Type new 26 and 31 counterparts aren’t ready. The earliest replacement is expected to arrive in 2028, but the majority will be rolled out in the 2030s.

Mr Norman said: “Is there a possibility of a shortfall of capability before the hybrid navy is fully established?”

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AM Jones responded: “We have ten years to get the Type 45 replacement up and running. In a world where innovation is moving quickly and the market is being very much disrupted by new start-ups.

“The new companies which are coming on to the market now are not offering procurement timelines that go on for decades. They are offering us far quicker turnaround timelines to bring new capability in.”

Mr Norman said: “The Type 45s are a well-established air defence platform. Can you give me reassurance that we will have adequate capability to cover that gap and more by the time its retired.”

AM Jones: “We will have air defence capability and it should be better as new technology will come online. The aim is to do that in a more effective way. As to when the transition happens, that’s what we’re working through at the moment.”