Type 45 destroyer

HMS Daring departing Portsmouth Naval Base, 1 March 2010.
Class overview
Builders:	BAE Systems Surface Ships
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Type 42
In commission:	23 July 2009[1]
Planned:	6
Completed:	3[2][3]
Active:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Guided missile destroyer
Displacement:	7,500 tonnes[4] (8,100 tonnes Full load) (both figures are 'start of life')
Length:	152.4 m (500 ft)
Beam:	21.2  m (69.5 ft)
Draught:	7.4 m (16.4 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shafts Integrated Electric Propulsion; 2 Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines (21.5 MW each) 2 Wärtsilä V12 VASA32 diesel generators (2 MW each) 2 Converteam electric motors (20 MW each)
Speed:	29+ knots[5]
Range:	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
Complement:	190 (accommodation for up to 235)
Sensors and processing systems:	SAMPSON multi-function air tracking radar S1850M 3-D air surveillance radar 2 x Raytheon I-band Radar (Type 1047) 1 x Raytheon E/F-band Radar (Type 1048)[6] SML Technologies radar tracking system MFS-7000 sonar
Armament:	Provision for and fitted with; 1 x PAAMS Air Defence System SYLVER VLS of 48; (total of 48 anti air aster missiles) Aster 15 missiles - short to medium range. (2-30 km) Aster 30 missiles - long range missile. (3-120 km) Also anti ballistic capable. 1 x BAE Systems 4.5 inch Mk 8 Mod. 1 gun 2 x 30 mm guns 2 x Miniguns and up to 6 x General Purpose Machine Guns Provision for but not fitted with; 2 x Quad Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon launchers (total of 8 harpoon missiles) 2 x Phalanx CIWS (to be fitted by 2011-2015) BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles (if VLS is upgraded or replaced)
Aircraft carried:	1 x Lynx HMA8 or 1 x Westland Merlin HM1[7] Armed with 4 x anti ship missiles 2 x anti submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities:	Hangar & flightdeck

The United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer (also known as the D or Daring class) is an 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.^[8] 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 eight-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). The ships' Aster missiles have not been delivered due to unsuccessful tests.^[9]

In an "intensive attack" a single Type 45 could simultaneously track, engage and destroy more targets than five Type 42 destroyers operating together.^[10] The Daring class are the largest escorts ever built for the Royal Navy in terms of displacement.^{[Note 1]} 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.^[11]

Design

Background

The UK had sought to procure the ships in collaboration with seven 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.^[12] On 23 November 1999 Marconi Electronic Systems was confirmed as prime contractor for the Type 45 project.^[13] Seven days later MES and British Aerospace merged to form BAE Systems, making the latter the prime contractor.

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.^[14] The first ship is scheduled to enter service in 2010,^[15] 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.^[16][17]

General characteristics

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.^[18] The design of the Type 45 brings new levels of radar signature reduction to the Royal Navy, with deck equipment and life rafts concealed behind superstructure panels producing a very "clean" superstructure similar to the French La Fayette class of frigates. The mast is sparingly equipped externally.

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 three times the speed of sound.^[19]

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.^[20] 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 at less than half the cost.^[21]

Armament and sensors

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.^[22]
• 2 x Oerlikon 30 mm KCB guns on single DS-30B mounts
• 2 x Miniguns and up to 6 x General Purpose Machine Guns^[23]
• 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.^[24]
• 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.^[25]
• 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.^[22]

Daring being floated on the Clyde after launching.

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.^[26]

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

Integrated Electric Propulsion in the Type 45
(GT = Gas Turbine, DG = Diesel Generator)

The Type 45 is fitted with an innovative Integrated Electric Propulsion system. Two Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbine alternators and two Wärtsilä V12 VASA32 diesel generators provide electrical power at 4160 volts to a high voltage system. The high voltage supply is then used to provide power to two Converteam Advanced Induction Motors with outputs of 20 MW (26,800 shp) each. Ship's services, including hotel load and weapons system power supplies are transformed down from the High Voltage supply to 440V or 115V.^[27]

The benefits of Integrated Electric Propulsion are cited as:

• The ability to place the electric motors closer to the propeller, thus shortening the shaftline, obviating the need for a gearbox or controllable pitch propellers, and reducing exposure to action damage.^[27]
• The opportunity to place prime movers (diesel generators and gas turbine alternators) at convenient locations away from the shaftline, thus reducing the space lost to funnels, while at the same time improving access for maintenance and engine changes.^[28]
• The freedom to run all propulsion and ship services from a single prime mover for much of the ship's life, thus dramatically reducing engine running hours and emissions.^[27]

Key to the efficient use of a single prime mover is the choice of a gas turbine that provides efficiency over a large load range; the WR21 gas turbine incorporates compressor intercooling and exhaust heat recuperation, making it significantly more efficient than previous marine gas turbines, especially at low and medium load.

The combination of greater efficiency and plenty of fuel storage give an endurance of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h).^[27] High power density, coupled with the hydrodynamic efficiency of a longer hull form, allows for sustained high speed; It has been reported that Daring reached her design speed of 29 knots (54 km/h) in 70 seconds and achieved a speed of 31.5 knots (58 km/h) in 120 seconds during sea-trials in August 2007.^[5]

Construction

The ships are built by BAE Systems Surface Ships, which was originally created as BVT Surface Fleet, by the merger of the surface shipbuilding arms of BAE Systems and VT Group. These two companies previously built the ships in collaboration. BAE'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 BAE's shipyards on the Clyde.

BAE'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). BAE's Portsmouth shipyard is responsible for Blocks E/F (bridge to the bow) and the funnels and masts. 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.

Construction of blocks of HMS Dauntless at Portsmouth

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

Ships in the class

Launch of Daring. The ship's funnels, masts and radars were subsequently fitted in dry dock.

Six ships have been ordered, and transfer of custody of the first happened on 10 December 2008.^[29] The MOD initially planned to purchase twelve but this was reduced to 8 ships in the 2003 defence white paper entitled Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities. It was reported in December 2006 that the last two could be cut.^[30] 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".^[31] 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.^[32] The continual scaling back of the project, first from 12 to 8, and subsequently to 6 ships, has also been criticised for leaving the Royal Navy with insufficient ships to meet its requirements.^[33][34]

On 9 March 2007 The Independent reported that Saudi Arabia was considering buying "two or three" Type 45s.^[35] On 7 September 2007 it was reported that Saudi Arabian officials have been invited to observe HMS Daring's sea trials.^[36]

* - 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".

Notes

See also

• Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier
• Future of the Royal Navy
• BAE UXV Combatant
• Future Surface Combatant

References

External links

• BAE Systems Type 45 page
• Official Royal Navy Type 45 page
• Royal Navy Matters Type 45 page