Australian contract for BAE Type 26 Frigates
 

Great news for the UK, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy. Australia is to buy the type 26 frigate design to build 9 frigates down under. I appreciate they will not be built in UK yards, however very few large warships are now built and exported. The success of this contract will benefit British suppliers and associated companies working with BAE, hopefully bring down the overall cost of the ships. It also opens up the joint development of future joint weapon projects that would have been too expensive for a single country, i.e long range SSM missile development.
The design is a well thought out, a future proofed ship, that can evolve to meet both technical changes and environmental /political trends. Hopefully Canada will also be interested to further expand the development. Hopefully the type 31 design will provide a more flexible vessel even better suited for export.
Looking back the Leander frigate design was a good concept, a general purpose hull and machinery design that allowed for individual weapon and sensor fits, the Dutch and Chileans in particular benefitted from the Leander design purchase.

It is good news for the UK , as the engineering design will be done here , Unlike Transport for London who given a choice of the Canadian owned Derby based Bombardier , where the design would done or Siemens in Germany , they chose Siemens

Indeed FG, great news for the RN, BAE Systems and the U.K. And if I may say, not before time!
I must add though, BAE are taking on a massive risk as the sole Design Authority for a new class of ship with so much new technology, I am sure the Aussie customer will demand blood from stone in the contract clauses (as BAE Systems already experienced with the 2 Navantia LPH contracts).
Huge risks, let's hope it pays dividends as there are other customers watching in the wings, Potential sales in Canada, New Zealand, Finland......potentially South America if all goes well with the Sea 5000 project.
Fingers crossed that we are seeing the birth of a new Leander Class.
I am very interested in what the Aussies select as the prime sensor and the CMS, that has the potential to really spoil any aspirations of profit that BAES had!