equipment / ships
City Class
A 21st Century warship that will undertake the Royal Navy’s three core roles – warfighting, maritime security and international engagement.
City Class frigate
Displacement
6,900 tonnes
Length
149 metres
Speed
26 knots
Range
7,000 nautical miles
Global combat ships
Also known as Type 26 frigates, the City Class will comprise of eight ships in total, with the first three (the HMS Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast) expected to enter the fleet before 2030. A further five ships (HMS Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London) will join after 2030.
State-of-the-art surveillance
BAE System’s Artisan 3D surveillance radar offers unrivalled detection capabilities and leading electronic protection against the most sophisticated jammers. The radar can monitor more than 800 objects simultaneously from up to 200,000 meters away and cut through radio interference equal to 10,000 mobile phone signals.
About the crew
City Class ships can accommodate a crew of 208, and living quarters include gym facilities, recreation rooms, canteen and a medical facility that is capable of dealing with regular health needs and greater emergencies.
At the forefront of stealth and combat
persue
Silent & efficient
The City Class ships have been specifically designed to hunt for enemy submarines
Intended mainly for anti-submarine warfare, the City Class ships will feature acoustically quiet hulls to reduce underwater noise from the two electric motors, four high-speed diesel generators and a gas turbine direct drive.
A towed sonar array is designed for effective anti-submarine warfare and includes active and passive detection plus torpedo warning.
prevent
Ready for every eventuality
The Type 26’s missile silos provide a wide choice of weapons to counter any threat
The City Class frigates will boast significant air defence and surface warfare capabilities. These consist of 12 vertical launch system (VLS) cells for the Sea Ceptor surface to air missile (and another 24 multi-purpose MK 41 VLS cells).
Each cell can house four Sea Ceptors, giving each ship a total of 48 missiles, and the MK 41 VLS provides flexibility to utilise a further choice of missiles to counter threats as they emerge.
Units and squadrons
Discover the global operations and base of the Royal Navy ship units. Track our missions, explore facts and figures, and check our current and past deployment locations.
Join the Surface Fleet
Ready to go places? A career in the Surface Fleet could take you all over the world - on missions as varied as the oceans we defend.