Is UK’s first Type 32 coming soon? The mystery around the project grows

December 22, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

The Royal Navy’s future Type 32 frigate has yet to progress beyond the concept stage, with the UK government still unable to provide key details about the program.

In a recent written parliamentary answer, the UK Ministry of Defense declined to provide any timeline for when the first Type 32 frigate might be commissioned, underlining that the program remains firmly in the concept phase. For a warship class first announced several years ago as part of the navy’s future force structure, the absence of concrete milestones grows concern.

The issue was raised directly in Parliament, with MPs asking when the first Type 32 frigate is expected to enter service.

Responding on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, Luke Pollard, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said that the ministry “is continuously evaluating its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy’s fleet. As stated in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy is transitioning towards a Hybrid Navy, delivering a mixed fleet of crewed and uncrewed vessels. These will be delivered through faster, smarter procurement and enabled by modular, reconfigurable technology and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect”.

He also stated that “future capability plans for the Royal Navy are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP)” adding that it would be inappropriate to provide further details.

The idea of the Type 32 frigate was first publicly introduced in 2020, with the concept gaining further definition in 2021 as part of broader discussions on the future shape of the Royal Navy. The concept phase formally began in 2022, with Type 32 envisaged as a flexible, export-friendly platform, potentially focused on autonomous systems, presence missions and partner navy cooperation.

Since then, however, progress has been largely invisible to the public. Unlike the Type 26 and Type 31 programs, both of which moved into defined procurement pathways, Type 32 has yet to emerge with an agreed role set, design baseline, or funding envelope.

For now, the program’s fate appears tied to wider defense planning decisions that have yet to be made public. The DIP was originally planned to be published in the autumn of this year. However, the government extended the publishing date until after Parliament returns in January 2026.

According to recent reporting in the Financial Times, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has delayed the plan, citing concerns about its affordability and seeking further internal review before final sign‑off.

The DIP is intended to translate the government’s broad strategic priorities into a coherent investment roadmap across all major defence programs. It was announced as part of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) earlier in 2025.

The SDR, published in November this year, provided an overview of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) surface fleet as of 2025, detailing that together they operate 70 vessels, of which 63 are currently in service. It highlighted ongoing recapitalization efforts, with new frigates under construction in Scotland and new fleet support ships being built in the UK and Spain. The paper also noted concerns from MPs about potential capability gaps and fleet size, especially given delays in the introduction of new ships and associated capabilities.