Babcock and UK MoD at loggerheads over bill for increased Type 31 programme expenses
A rendering of the UK RN's future Type 31 frigate. (Image: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The shipbuilder is building five frigates for the UK RN under a £1.25 billion contract awarded in 2019, shaking out at around £250 million per ship.
To date, Babcock said it had seen revenues of £600 million related to the project but seen no profit on the programme.
Over the course of FY2023, Babcock said it had been in a dialogue with the UK MoD 'about the contractual position regarding additional forecast costs resulting from certain material macroeconomic changes that were not foreseen at contract inception'.
The shipbuilder said these had increased the actual and projected programme costs to deliver
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
US Pentagon claims to have severely damaged Iranian capabilities, promises to increase attacks
US military authorities claim to have sunk 20 Iranian vessels and destroyed Tehran’s Air Force, with the Pentagon making plans to send additional assets to the region.
-
Greece’s newly commissioned FDI frigate deployed to Cyprus
The recent naval modernisation efforts by the Hellenic Navy have been bolstered by the acquisition of advanced Naval Group frigates, the first of which was delivered in December 2025 and is now playing a crucial role in the latest Middle East conflict.