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 A graphic of Type 31 frigate launching a missile |
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| Name | Type 31 Frigate |
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| Builders | |
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| Operators | |
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| Preceded by | Type 23 frigate |
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| Subclasses | |
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| Cost | £268 million (2019) (equivalent to £330 million in 2024) per unit (est., UK) |
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| In service | From 2028/29 |
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| Planned |
- 12 (total)
- 5 (UK)
- 4 (Indonesia)
- 3 (Poland)
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| Building | 8 |
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| Completed | 4 (Fitting out) |
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| Type | General purpose Frigate |
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| Displacement |
- UK & Poland:
- 5,700 t (5,600 long tons)
- 7,000 t (6,900 long tons) (Also listed)
- Indonesia:
- 5,996 t (5,901 long tons) (Standard)
- 6,625 t (6,520 long tons) (Full load)
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| Length |
- UK & Poland: 138.7 m (455 ft 1 in)
- Indonesia: 140 m (459 ft 4 in)
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| Installed power |
- 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 20V 8000 M71 (8.2 MW) diesel engines
- 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 16V 2000 M41B (900 kW) generators
- or 4 × Caterpillar 3512C (1360 kW) generators
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| Propulsion |
- CODAD propulsion system
- MAN Alpha VBS Mk 5 controllable pitch propeller
- 2 × Shafts
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| Speed | In excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
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| Endurance | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
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| Complement | c. 110 (accommodation for up to 190) |
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Sensors &
processing systems |
- UK & Poland:
- Thales Nederland TACTICOS combat management system
- Thales NS110 4D Dual-Axis Multi-Beam AESA Radar
- Thales Artemis 360 Naval InfraRed search and track system
- Anschütz Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System
- Terma Scanter and Anschütz NSX navigation radars
- 2 × Mirador Mk2 EOS
- Viasat Ultrahigh-frequency satellite communications
- Indonesia (Balaputradewa class) - Main Contract:
- HAVELSAN ADVENT combat management system (CMS)
- ASELSAN CENK 350-N (Mete Han) X-band fixed-face AESA multi-function radar
- ASELSAN MAR-D / CENK 200-N air and surface surveillance and helicopter approach control radar
- ASELSAN AKREP fire-control radar
- ASELSAN FERSAH 100-N/MF hull-mounted sonar
- ELT Group electronic warfare suite (R-ESM, C-ESM, COMINT, R-ECM)
- Indonesia - Fitted For But Not With (FFBNW):
- ASELSAN CENK 400-N S-band AESA long-range air and surface surveillance radar
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Electronic warfare
& decoys |
- UK & Poland:
- Indonesia:
- ELT Group suite including R-ESM, C-ESM, COMINT, and R-ECM jammers
- ASELSAN decoy launchers
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| Armament |
- UK:
- Missiles:
- Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile silos fitted with CAMM missiles; 32-cell Mk 41 VLS possibly from hull 3 onwards; first two ships to be retrofitted after service entry
- Naval Strike Missiles (planned for incorporation)
- Guns:
- Indonesia (Balaputradewa class) - Main Contract:
- Indonesia - Fitted For But Not With (FFBNW) (Contract signed 11 June 2025):
- Missiles:
- 64-cell ROKETSAN MİDLAS Universal VLS (8 × 8-cell modules); capable of launching:
- HİSAR-D medium-range surface-to-air missile (~25 km range)
- SİPER Block 1-D long-range surface-to-air missile (~150 km range)
- ATMACA vertically-launched anti-ship missile
- Anti-submarine warfare:
- 2 × Leonardo B515/3 triple 324 mm torpedo launchers for MU90 lightweight torpedoes
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| Aircraft carried | |
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| Aviation facilities | Helicopter hangar sized for Merlin and flight deck sized for Boeing CH-47 Chinook |
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| Notes |
- Mission bay under flight deck for 6 TEUs
- 3 boat bays for RHIBs and USVs/UUVs
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The Type 31 frigate, also known as the Inspiration class, formerly known as the Type 31e frigate or General Purpose Frigate (GPF), is a class of five frigates being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, with variants also being built for the Indonesian and Polish navies. The Type 31 is intended to enter service in the 2020s alongside the eight submarine-hunting Type 26 frigates, replacing five general-purpose Type 23 frigates. The Type 31 is part of the British government's "National Shipbuilding Strategy".
Under construction by Babcock International, it is based on the Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate hull and is marketed under the name Arrowhead 140. The design was sold to Indonesia as the four ship Balaputradewa-class frigate, equipped with Turkish MiDLAS VLS, in September 2021, and to Poland for the three ship Wicher-class frigates in March 2022.
