'New Royal Navy Ships Could Enter Service Without Missiles'

The Royal Navy's new Type 26 frigates could reportedly enter service without missiles.

Construction of the first of eight warships is scheduled to begin in the summer at a cost of £8 billion.

But according to the Times newspaper, they might have no missiles to fire from their silos, leaving them with just naval guns and helicopter-launched missiles.

It comes after reports that the Royal Navy's current fleet will be forced to rely solely on naval guns after its Harpoon missiles are retired from frigates and destroyers in 2018. 

New helicopter-borne missiles won't be brought into service until 2020. 

The reported problem for the Type 26s is that there are no missiles in the UK's arsenal that could be fired from their US-built MK 41 missile system, which features 24 silos at the front of the ships. 

The MoD is developing an anti-ship missile with France but it's not believed to be likely to come into service until after 2030, long after the first Type 26 frigates are commissioned. 

The navy's attack submarines have Tomahawk missiles but they are not designed to be fired from surface ships.

The newspaper also claims that the MoD's £178bn 10-year equipment plan does not name any type of existing missile for the launchers or allocate any money for their construction - although the ministry's website describes this statement as 'speculation'.

It comes after the MoD was forced to deny that a shortage of money is behind delays in the ships' construction, after it was revealed that only eight would be built, instead of the originally-planned 13.

Former Labour defence minister Kevan Jones has labelled the programme a "complete dog's breakfast", saying:

"It sheds light on the crisis that there is in the defence equipment budget."

A Royal Navy spokesman, however, said:

"The Type 26 Frigate will be delivered with cutting edge weapons and sensors that build on the excellent operational record of the Type 23."

"Backed by a rising defence budget and a £178 billion equipment plan, investment in the MK 41 launcher enables the Royal Navy the option of investing in a wide range of additional capabilities at short notice and according to the threat."

A statement on its website added that the Mk41 missile system will provide "options for development of Type 26 capability throughout its life". It continued:

"Type 26 is planned to be a key component of the RN's fleet until at least 2060 and it makes sense to build a strike missile launcher into its design that enables a flexible choice of weapons throughout its service life."

"The Mk41 Vertical Launch silo provides the flexibility to field a variety of weapons, which may include the next generation of ship-launched strike weapons – including the Future Offensive Surface Weapon and the Next Generation Land Attack Weapon - being developed through the MOD's current 10-year, £178 billion equipment plan.

"The MoD continuously reviews the capabilities it requires and we have work in hand to examine current and future weapon choices for Type 26 over the coming years as her entry into service approaches."

Naval expert and campaigner Pete Sandeman said, however: "I would have thought it is going to be pretty embarrassing if there is not a single missile that we can fire from the MK 41."

MP Brendan O'Hara, the Scottish National Party's defence spokesman, said:

"It goes to the heart of the muddled thinking of the Ministry of Defence."

BAE Systems, which is building the Type 26, said the frigate "is designed to be in service for decades and has a number of features to support future capability requirements and upgrades".