The new Type-31 frigate could help the Royal Navy rebuild its warship numbers, but it will still be a difficult balancing act between capability and cost, writes Nick Childs. Can the design meet its other goal of finding an export market?
On 12 September, the United Kingdom government confirmed that it had selected the Babcock-led consortium with its Arrowhead 140 design as the preferred bidder to build the Royal Navy's new Type-31 general-purpose frigate. But, in some ways, the story really starts now, as Babcock will face a tight timeline and an even tighter price-cap per ship to deliver what the navy wants. Arguments are also likely to continue over whether the navy itself has got the balance right between affordability and capability in its Type-31 concept.
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