The United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer (also known as the D or Daring class') is a state-of-the-art air defence destroyer programme of the Royal Navy which will replace its Type 42 destroyers. The first ship in the class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009. The ships are now built by BAE Systems Surface Ships. The first three ships were assembled by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions from partially prefabricated "blocks" built by BAE Systems itself and VT Group.

The UK originally sought to procure air defence ships as part of the 8 nation NFR-90 project and later the Horizon Common New Generation Frigate programme with France and Italy. The Type 45s take advantage of some Horizon development work and utilise the Sea Viper missile system (the SAMPSON radar variant of the Principal Anti-Air Missile System).

In an "intensive attack" a single Type 45 could simultaneously track, engage and destroy more targets than five Type 42 destroyers operating together. The Daring class represents the largest escort type ever built for the Royal Navy. After Daring's launch on 1 February 2006, former First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West stated that it would be the Royal Navy's most capable destroyer ever, as well as the world's best air defence ship.

Background

The UK had sought to procure the ships in collaboration with 7 other NATO nations under the NFR-90 project which later collapsed. The UK then joined France and Italy in the Horizon CNGF programme; however, differing national requirements, workshare arguments and delays led to the UK withdrawing on 26 April 1999 and starting its own national project.

On 23 November 1999 Marconi Electronic Systems was confirmed as prime contractor for the Type 45 project. Seven days later MES and British Aerospace merged to form BAE Systems, making the latter the prime contractor.

Six ships have been ordered, and transfer of custody of the first happened on 10 December 2008. The original planned purchase of twelve was reduced in the Ministry of Defence's Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities review, published in July 2004. The Type 45 design uses the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), a joint British, French and Italian design. PAAMS consists of a SAMPSON fire control and tracking radar, MBDA Aster 15 and 30 missile systems and a 48-cell SYLVER vertical missile launcher, giving both short-range and long-range anti-air capability. The PAAMS system is able to control and coordinate several missiles in the air at once, allowing several tracks to be intercepted, and the SYLVER missile launcher can be upgraded to add more modern weapons if necessary.It has been suggested that the SAMPSON radar is capable of tracking an object the size of a cricket ball travelling at 3 times the speed of sound.

The Type 45 destroyers will replace the Type 42 currently in service with the Royal Navy. The Type 45 may also be fitted with cruise missiles if the need arises in the future; MBDA is in the process of adapting the Storm Shadow cruise missile (already operated by the RAF) for the French Navy for firing from Sylver A70 launchers — but not the A50 as fitted to the Type 45.

Design

The Type 45 destroyers are 152.4 m in length, with a beam of 21.2 m and a draught of 7.4 m. This makes them significantly larger than the Type 42 they replace, displacing about 7350 tonnes compared to 5200 tonnes of the Type 42. The Type 45 destroyers are the first British warships built to meet the hull requirements of Lloyd's Register's Naval Rules. BAE Systems is the Design Authority for the Type 45, a role traditionally held by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The Type 45 incorporates signature reduction features, including the elimination of right angles and reduced equipment on deck. The infrared signature is reduced by cooling devices on the funnels. The design of the Type 45 brings new levels of radar signature reduction to the Royal Navy, with the reduced deck equipment producing a very "clean" superstructure similar to the French La Fayette class of frigates. Berthing equipment and life rafts are concealed behind superstructure panels and the mast is very sparingly equipped externally.

Construction

The ships are built by BVT Surface Fleet which was created by the merger of the surface shipbuilding arms of BAE Systems and VT Group. These two companies previously built the ships in collaboration. BVT's two Glasgow shipyards and single Portsmouth shipyard are responsible for different "blocks". The largest and most complex blocks containing the operations and machinery spaces are being constructed at BVT's shipyards on the Clyde.

BVT's Govan yard is responsible for Block A (stern to edge of helicopter hangar). The Scotstoun yard builds Blocks B/C (a 2600 tonne section which contains the WR-21 gas turbines, starts with the helicopter hangar to the bridge section) and Block D (bridge section). BVT's Portsmouth shipyard is responsible for Blocks E/F (bridge to the bow) and the funnels and masts.

For the first-of-class, Block A was assembled at Govan and moved to Scotstoun where it was mated to the Block B/C, which was already fitted with the WR-21 turbines and machinery. Block D, also assembled at Scotstoun, was fitted to these three blocks. The bow sections (E/F) were mated at VT's facility at Portsmouth and taken by barge to Scotstoun. This was the final block to be attached. At this point the hull was launched into the Clyde and towed to the Scotstoun Dry Dock where the masts and funnels were fitted (the masts are partially outfitted with equipment, for example the mast for the S1850M radar is sent from Portsmouth to Thales Nederland to be fitted with radar equipment). Once this is complete the remaining equipment was fitted; radar arrays, bow-mounted sonar, propellers, missile equipment and 4.5-inch gun.

This construction arrangement was agreed in February 2002. However, when the original contract for three ships was signed in July 2000, BAE was to build the first and third ships, and Vosper Thornycroft (now VT) was to build the second.

HMS Daring was successfully launched on 1 February 2006, ready for fitting out. The event attracted considerable local attention and media coverage due to the relative rarity of a launch into the Clyde in the 21st century.

For Ships 2-6, blocks A-D are assembled in the Ships Block and Outfit Hall of the Govan shipyard and taken fully outfitted to the Scotstoun berth. The masts and funnels are also fitted before launch.

Systems

Electronics & armament

• Anti-air
  • Sea Viper missile system
    • SAMPSON multi-function air tracking radar
    • S1850M 3D air surveillance radar
    • 48 x MBDA Aster missiles (mix of Aster 15 and Aster 30) in six 8-cell SYLVER A50 (Systeme de Lancement Vertical) vertical launchers.

• Guns
  • 1 x BAE Systems 4.5 inch Mk 8 mod 1 gun. The Darings are designed to accommodate a 155 mm gun upgrade currently being studied by the RN.
  • 2 x Oerlikon 30 mm KCB guns on single DS-30B mounts
  • Fitted 'for but not with' 2 x Phalanx 20 mm close-in weapons systems

• Anti-ship
  • The Type 45 has the provision for a pair of quadruple RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, but there are currently no plans to fit this system.
  • The embarked Lynx HMA 8 helicopter is capable of carrying Sea Skua anti-ship missiles.
  • The 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun has an anti-ship role.

• Anti-submarine
  • MFS 7000 sonar
  • The embarked Lynx HMA 8 helicopter or Merlin HM1 helicopter is capable of carrying Sting Ray torpedo. The Merlin HM1 helicopter is fitted with its own dipping sonar and carries sonobuoys.

• Land attack
  • The Type 45 as it stands has no land-attack missile capability and the SYLVER A50 launcher currently has no capability to fire such a missile. However, should the need arise, it would be possible to fit them with the American Mk. 41 VLS, firing the BGM-109 Tomahawk; the Defence Procurement Agency conducted a study into this in 2004, but there are no plans yet to fit this. The French Navy are pursuing a variant of the Storm Shadow / SCALP air-launched cruise missile for their SYLVER A70 launchers, but not the A50 launchers as currently fitted to the Darings.
  • The 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun has a Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) role. The proposed upgrade to a 155mm gun would increase range and explosive effect as well as giving commonality with Army 155mm guns in logistics and a possibility of a co-development of advanced ammunition for inter-service use in the future.

• Countermeasures
  • The Seagnat decoy system allows for the seduction and distraction of radar guided weapons, through active and passive means. An infra-red 'spoofing' device is planned for future retrofits.
  • Surface Ship Torpedo Defence System (SSTD) active torpedo decoy system

• Communications
  • Fully Integrated Communications System (FICS45) - a combined external and internal communications system supplied by Thales and SELEX Communications Ltd.

• METOC Meteorology and Oceanography
  • The Metoc system by BAE Systems comprises the Upper Air Sounding System using launchable radiosondes by Skycom Telecom Ltd (Wales) and Graw Radiosondes (Germany) joint venture, as well as a comprehensive weather satellite receiving system and a bathymetrics system. These sensors will provide each vessel with a full environmental awareness for tasks such as radar propagation, ballistics and general self-supporting meteorological and oceanographic data production.

• Aircraft
  • 1 Lynx HMA 8 helicopter - Sea Skua anti-ship missiles and Sting Ray torpedoes or 1 Merlin helicopter - Sting Ray torpedoes, dipping sonar and sonobuoys.
  • The flight deck of the Type 45 is big enough to accommodate aircraft up to the size of the Chinook.

• Other
  • Type 45 has sufficient space to embark 60 Royal Marines and their equipment.

Propulsion

2 shafts Integrated Electric Propulsion;

• 2 Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines with Intercooled Recuperator (ICR); 21.5 MW (28,832 shp)
• 2 Converteam electric drive motor; 20 MW (26,800 shp)

During sea-trials in August 2007, HMS Daring reached her design speed of in 70 seconds and achieved a speed of in 120 seconds.

Ships in the class

Initially planning to order twelve ships, the Ministry of Defence subsequently reduced the required number to eight. It was reported in December 2006 that the last two could be cut. In July 2007, Ministry of Defence officials stated that they "still planned to build eight Type 45 destroyers" and that "the extra two ships were still included in planning assumptions". This plan was officially abandoned on 19 June 2008 when the Minister for the Armed Forces, Bob Ainsworth, announced in Parliament that options for the seventh and eighth destroyers would not be taken up.

On 9 March 2007, The Independent reported that Saudi Arabia was considering buying "two or three" Type 45s. On 7 September 2007 it was reported that Saudi Arabian officials have been invited to observe HMS Daring's sea trials.

Name	Pennant number	First steel cut*	Launched	Date of commission	Status
Daring	D32	28 March 2003	1 February 2006	23 July 2009	Stage 2 trials
Dauntless	D33	26 August 2004	23 January 2007	Expected Nov 2010	Stage 1 trials
Diamond	D34	25 February 2005	27 November 2007	Expected 2011	Fitting out
Dragon	D35	19 December 2005	17 November 2008	Expected 2011	Fitting out
Defender	D36	31 July 2006	21 October 2009	Expected 2012	Fitting out
Duncan	D37	26 January 2007	Expected October 2010	Expected 2013	Under construction

* - The Type 45 is constructed in modules, so the keel is not "laid down" as in the past. The ceremonial start of the ships' construction is "cutting the first sheet of steel".

Criticism

The Type 45 project has been criticised for rising costs and delays, with the ships costing £6.46 billion, an increase of £1.5 billion (29%) on the original budget. The first ship is scheduled to enter service in 2010, rather than 2007 as initially planned. In 2007 the Defence Select Committee expressed its disappointment that the MoD and BAE had failed to control rising costs.

Although the Type 45 represents a significant improvement to air defences, her anti-ship capability is limited to the single medium calibre gun and helicopter-borne Sea Skua missiles. The Register made other complaints about the Royal Navy's new destroyers, stating that ships like the United States Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer carry greater numbers of missiles than the Type 45 will at less than half the cost.

The continual scaling back of the project, first from 12 to 8 and subsequently from 8 to 6 ships, has also been criticised for leaving the Royal Navy with insufficient ships to meet its requirements.

Notes

References

1. In terms of displacement; the County class destroyers were some 6 metres longer.
2. DCNS - Businesses - Systems & Equipment - Sylver retrieved 2007-09-08
3. P J Gates, Royal Institution of Naval Architects, 2005, p35.
4. Navy-Matters Type 45 Destroyer Daring Class
5. House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Mar 2004 (pt 8)
6. Type 45 FICS Fully Integrated Communications System
7. See statement by then First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West, Jane's Defence Weekly 25 June 2008, p.6 reproduced from an interview in February 2006.

See also

• Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier
• Royal Navy in the 21st century
• BAE UXV Combatant

External links

• BAE Systems Type 45 page
• Official Royal Navy Type 45 page
• Royal Navy Matters Type 45 page
• The Telegraph coverage of the first launch
• Windows for Warships safe for Royal Navy, says MoD